Gov’t plans to establish South Sudan Airways, expand Juba International Airport

2026-03-06 - 12:37

The government has announced plans for the establishment of South Sudan Airways and upgrading of Juba International Airport in collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines. The announcement followed a meeting of the Infrastructure Cluster chaired by Vice President Taban Deng Gai. The meeting discussed three key policy frameworks presented by the Minister of Transport, Rizik Zakaria Hassan, were deliberated and approved. The frameworks, aimed at reforming the country’s transport sector, include the Transport Sector Policy Framework, a business plan for the establishment of South Sudan Airways, and a memorandum on the expansion of Juba International Airport. the Minister of Roads and Bridges, Peter Lam Both, who also attended the meeting said the cluster had instructed the Ministry of Transport to further engage Ethiopian Airlines to ensure the success of the project. “We believe this is an excellent project. The cluster has now authorized the Minister of Transport and his team to continue discussions with Ethiopian Airlines on upgrading Juba International Airport, including expanding the runway to 4,000 metres to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380,” he said. “The second agenda is the establishment of South Sudan’s national carrier, South Sudan Airways, which will also be developed in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines,” he announced, “This will allow South Sudan to have its own designated air carrier.” “The minister and his team have been authorized to continue negotiations with Ethiopian Airlines on how to establish South Sudan Airways,” he added. Once endorsed by the Council of Ministers, the policies are expected to create a regulatory environment needed for the growth of the transport sector as a key component of the national economy. Under the proposal, a memorandum will be signed between the Ministry of Transport and Ethiopian Airlines to transform the airport into a regional aviation hub. The plan includes upgrading the runway to 4,000 metres to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380. The partnership will also support the establishment of the long-awaited national carrier, South Sudan Airways, in collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines.