Private Jet Landing Permits in Africa, Country by Country

Landing, overflight, technical stop: three separate requests

A landing permit allows the aircraft to touch down to drop off or pick up passengers. An overflight permit covers crossing a country's airspace without landing; a technical stop is a refuelling halt where nobody boards or leaves. The common section of the ASECNA AIP treats these cases separately for non-scheduled flights. Transit and non-traffic stops need prior permission; setting down passengers needs a permit from the competent authorities, within the time they set.

One rule applies everywhere. The first landing in a country must be at an aerodrome with a customs service, and so must the last departure. ASECNA imposes it on its member states, Senegal's 2004 order repeats it, and South Africa restricts entry to ten designated airports, including Lanseria, OR Tambo and Cape Town.

ASECNA publishes the rules, each state signs the permit

The Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar, ASECNA, publishes the AIP of 17 states, from Mauritania to the Comoros. It does not issue permits: according to that AIP, applications go to the "competent authority" of each country. Its common section nonetheless sets a framework for private flights.

• Prior permission, 2 to 7 days before the flight: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, which require it for overflight as well as for a stop, on top of the flight plan.
• Advance notice only, 2 to 3 days before: the Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Mauritania.
• On neither list: the Comoros and Guinea-Bissau, although both belong to the agency.

Three countries that matter to our clients sit outside ASECNA. Nigeria works through its air navigation agency, NAMA. The Democratic Republic of the Congo takes requests on the e-Clearance portal of its civil aviation authority, the AAC/RDC. South Africa splits the file between its Department of Transport and its civil aviation authority, the SACAA.

Published lead times, country by country

The table reflects the official texts in force on 21 September 2026. "Not specified" means the text refers to "the required time" without a number of days; our teams then have it confirmed by the authority or the local agent.

Charter or private flight: the same cabin, two regimes

For the authorities, everything turns on who pays. An owner flying guests in their own aircraft is operating a private flight. As soon as an operator is paid to carry passengers, the flight becomes a non-scheduled commercial one, and that covers every charter, whether booked direct or through a broker.

The difference is measured in days. In Senegal, three are enough for a private flight notified by aeronautical message, while ten are required for a single commercial flight.

South Africa asks a private or business flight to request its landing permit from the Department of Transport three working days ahead, according to the AIP published by the SACAA. A foreign operator paid to carry passengers, by contrast, must hold a foreign operator's permit issued by the SACAA, and every new permit application is published in the Government Gazette for 21 days. Only flights carrying 8 passengers or fewer are exempt, needing just the Department of Transport clearance.

A permit has an expiry date

Senegal's AIP limits a single-flight permit to 72 hours unless stated otherwise, and a special overflight authorisation cannot exceed twelve months. A departure pushed back by four days therefore means starting again. In South Africa, it is the customs clearance that lapses: if the aircraft has not left within 36 hours of its issue, the pilot in command must obtain a fresh one.

NAMA, in Nigeria, gives each request a tracking number, then sends the permit number by email and text message. Whatever the country, tell our teams as soon as a date moves, so that the operator can update its request straight away.

What the traveller supplies, what the operator supplies

Most of the file falls to the operator: registration and airworthiness certificates, insurance policy, air operator licence and certificate, name of the pilot in command, crew numbers and the full route. Cameroon's application form for non-scheduled commercial flights lists these documents and adds the charter contract.

On the passenger side, the texts ask for little, but they ask for it everywhere.

• Number of passengers: it appears on every form, and Senegal also asks for the identity and status of any dignitaries on board.
• The charterer: name, address and occupation, according to the ASECNA AIP for non-scheduled flights.
• Purpose of the flight: a compulsory line, in Senegal as in Cameroon.

South Africa adds its own health requirements. According to its AIP, an aircraft arriving from a yellow fever endemic area or a malaria area is disinsected at least thirty minutes before landing, and passengers arriving from a yellow fever infected or endemic area show their vaccination certificate. Nigeria and the DRC are on the list of risk countries drawn up by the World Health Organization, as are Cameroon and Gabon. Since 1 July 2026, every traveller also completes an online customs declaration there.

Permitted to overfly does not mean advisable

An overflight permit says nothing about safety. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) publishes conflict zone information bulletins, aimed in particular at European operators. On 21 September 2026, four concern Africa:

• Sudan: do not overfly at any altitude, a recommendation valid until 31 January 2027.
• Libya: do not operate below FL320, except for tightly controlled coastal approaches, until 31 January 2027.
• Mali: do not operate below FL260, until 31 October 2026.
• Somalia: do not operate at or below FL260, until 31 October 2026.

Routing around a zone lengthens the flight and brings more countries into the flight plan, and therefore more overflight requests. Between the Emirates and Nigeria, avoiding Sudan takes the route to around 6,000 km, as explained in our article on a private jet from Dubai to Lagos.

Three typical situations on our African routes

A charter to Dakar decided seven days out. Senegal's order requires ten days for a single commercial flight: a week before departure, that deadline can no longer be met, and our teams say so before any commitment. Our Paris to Dakar article also covers the health rules on arrival, and our page on Blaise Diagne airport describes the arrival in Dakar.

A tour through Abidjan, Douala, Libreville and Kinshasa. Four stops, four regimes: an Ivorian permit, a Cameroonian form referred to the Ministry of Defence, the Gabonese procedure and a Congolese portal. The requests go out in parallel, and the slowest sets the date. Each leg has its own article, Paris to Abidjan, Paris to Douala, Paris to Libreville and Paris to Kinshasa, alongside our pages on Félix-Houphouët-Boigny airport and N'djili airport.

Ten passengers from Lagos to Johannesburg. Above 8 passengers, a foreign operator must hold the South African permit, failing which its application goes through 21 days of publication. Passengers arriving from Nigeria show their yellow fever certificate, the cabin is disinsected before arrival, and the aircraft lands at Lanseria or OR Tambo, both ports of entry. To reach Lagos first, see London to Lagos and our Murtala Muhammed airport page; for the arrival, our guide to Lanseria and OR Tambo.

Planning a flight to Africa with IBC Aviation

Before quoting, our teams check three points that set the timetable: the nature of the flight, private or charter, the countries overflown, and the lead time of each authority along the route. Comparing those regimes from one leg to the next is part of the added value of a charter broker. Our private jet rental rates set out the hourly price of each aircraft category.

 

Private jet charter with IBC Aviation:

Our teams advise you on the private jet best suited to your itinerary and requirements, and organise your trip to or from your destination. Available 24/7:

• France: +33 1 41 69 88 88
• Switzerland: +41 22 880 28 88
• Dubai: +971 55 303 5161
• Bangkok: +66 92 372 4680
• Email: contact@ibc-aviation.com

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit just to fly over an African country?

Often, yes. In Côte d'Ivoire, no foreign aircraft may overfly the territory without permission, and ten ASECNA states require it for private flights, 2 to 7 days ahead. Gabon, on the other hand, grants overflight rights by decree to aircraft from ICAO member states, against 2 to 3 days' notice for a private flight.

Can a landing permit expire before departure?

Yes. In Senegal, a permit for a single flight is valid for 72 hours unless stated otherwise: beyond that, it must be requested again. In South Africa, customs clearance lapses if the aircraft has not left within 36 hours of its issue.

Does ASECNA issue landing permits?

No. It publishes the AIP of its 17 member states and sets common rules, but applications go to each country's authority. For a private flight, ten states want a permit 2 to 7 days ahead, and five want 2 to 3 days' notice.

Do the authorities treat a charter as a private flight?

No. Because the operator is paid, it is a non-scheduled commercial flight with its own lead times: ten days instead of three in Senegal, and a foreign operator's permit above 8 passengers in South Africa.

What information does a passenger have to provide?

The number of passengers, the purpose of the flight and, for a charter, the charterer's name, address and occupation. Senegal also asks for the identity of dignitaries on board. Certificates and insurance, like the crew details, are the operator's responsibility. For South Africa, carry a yellow fever certificate when arriving from an endemic area.