Cameroonian authorities impose four-month ban on inbound flights

Aviation authorities in Cameroon have halted all inbound flights across airports in the country amid COVID-19 concerns.  

Reports from local media NewsAero reveal that the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA) issued a notice to air users (NOTAM) announcing that all airports will be closed to incoming flights. 

This restrictive measure, which went into effect on April 4, 2022, will remain active until July 3, 2022. 

According to the report, the Cameroonian government has exempted “aircraft in emergency situations, cargo flights, technical stopover flights, medical evacuations, repatriation, special and commercial flights, authorized by the government,” from this restriction. 

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However, all exempt flights are required to receive authorization from the CCAA and are expected to submit a request for landing no later than 48 hours prior to the flight. The NOTAM indicates that medical evacuation flights are exempt from this process. 

Despite a falling infection rate and a 98.3% recovery rate, Cameroon recorded 1,926 deaths on March 9, 2022.  

According to the NewsAero report, Cameroon did not reopen its airspace following its closure in March 2020. The report also states that the NOTAM is an extension of provisionary measures already in place 

A total of 10 airlines operating to and from Douala International Airport and Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport have benefited from “special authorizations” for a period of almost two years. 

Based in Douala, Cameroon Airlines Corporation (Camair-Co) is one of the largest airlines in the country and is wholly owned by the State of Cameroon.