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The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at enhancing competition regulation and strengthening consumer protection in Zambia’s aviation sector.
The agreement was formalised during a signing ceremony held in Lusaka on Monday, where CAA Director General, Gabriel Lesa, described the development as an important step toward improving oversight and safeguarding consumer rights within the increasingly liberalized air transport industry.
Lesa said the aviation sector plays a vital role in driving national economic development, tourism, trade, and regional integration, stressing that as the industry expands, fair competition and strong regulatory frameworks become even more crucial.
He noted that Zambia’s aviation oversight is guided by international frameworks such as the Chicago Convention, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices, the ICAO Manual on the Regulation of International Air Transport (Doc 9626), and the ICAO Core Principles on Consumer Protection.
At the continental level, Lesa said the agreement aligns with Africa’s liberalization agenda under the Yamoussoukro Decision and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), which encourage open skies, fair competition, and stronger consumer safeguards.
He emphasized that Zambia’s regulatory mandate is rooted in national laws— including the CAA Act No. 7 of 2012, the Civil Aviation Act No. 5 of 2016, and the amended CAA Act No. 10 of 2024— which empower the Authority to regulate economic aspects of air transport, including tariffs, market access, competition practices, and consumer protection.
“This signing is not just a formality but a strategic partnership that will help build a competitive, efficient, and consumer-focused aviation sector,” Lesa said.
Through the agreement, the CAA and CCPC will collaborate on information sharing, joint investigations, consumer complaint handling, market monitoring, and institutional capacity building.
Lesa said this cooperation will help tackle issues such as price fixing, abuse of dominance, misleading pricing, and poor service delivery.
CCPC Executive Director Eunice Hamavhwa, who signed on behalf of her institution, said the aviation sector remains a critical artery of the nation’s economy.
She noted that for aviation to flourish, it requires both robust regulation and a healthy competitive environment.
“This agreement creates a strategic framework for mutual cooperation. By harmonizing how we investigate complaints and examine market conduct, we ensure that no consumer grievance goes unresolved and no unfair practice goes unchecked,” Hamavhwa said.
Both institutions expressed confidence that the partnership will strengthen regulatory certainty, promote transparency in air fares, improve complaint resolution, and ultimately enhance service delivery for the traveling public.
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