The Mozambican government approved new rules for private air operators, which recently came into force, replacing the previous 2011 regulation. The measure aims to promote safe and effective private air transport and work, covering natural and legal persons, public or private, with a 90-day transition period until the end of October.
One of the main novelties is the digitization of licenses, which now include security elements such as unique coded numbering, bar code or QR Code, watermarks, special anti-fraud paper and holographic seal or encrypted digital signature. The Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority of Mozambique must provide public electronic systems for verifying the authenticity of licenses.
The regulation reorganizes private aerial work activities into 15 specific categories, including agricultural work and aerial spraying, firefighting, photography and aerial filming, parachute dropping, aerial advertising, thermography, altimetric topography, high-voltage line inspection, maritime operations and mapping. Operators are also required to report monthly to the regulatory authority information on flight operations, including passenger names, routes and hours flown, keeping these records for at least three years.
The regulation maintains the prohibition on commercial exploitation of aircraft and introduces stricter suitability criteria for operators and managers, excluding persons convicted of aviation crimes, crimes against the national economy, corruption or obstruction of inspection. Infractions, such as operating without a license or using undeclared pilots, are punishable by fines between 80 and 100 minimum wages.
