AESA and Central Africa Agency sign agreement to strengthen international cooperation in aviation safety

• This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by Montserrat Mestres, Director of AESA, and Apombi Eugène, Director General of ASSA-AC.
• Collaboration is promoted in areas such as safety, air navigation, sustainability or economic supervision, among others.

Madrid, 16 March 2026 (AESA)

The State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and the Central African Aviation Safety Supervision Agency (ASSA‑AC) have signed at the Agency's headquarters a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening international technical cooperation in key areas of civil aviation.

The agreement has been signed by Montserrat Mestres, Director of AESA, and Apombi Eugène, Director General of ASSA‑AC. With this signature, both authorities consolidate a collaborative framework that will promote the safe, efficient and sustainable development of civil aviation, in line with the standards and practices recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

With this agreement, AESA and ASSA‑AC establish the basis for cooperation in areas such as safety and security, environmental protection, air navigation or economic supervision of air transport, among other areas.

It will enable the exchange of knowledge, experience and best practices to be promoted, as well as the provision of technical assistance, specialised training and the organisation of workshops and expert missions. In addition, it is a boost to place Spain as a benchmark for safe, sustainable and efficient air transport.

This agreement also contemplates the participation of SENASA as a technical service organization to support the proposed activities, mobilize expert personnel and manage the operation or financial field of the projects derived from the agreement. Andrés Arranz, president of SENASA, attended the signing ceremony to show the entity's commitment to the development and application of specialized technical knowledge that contributes to boosting aviation safety.

Commitment to international cooperation and institutional strengthening

ASSA‑AC, established by the Conference of Heads of State of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and established as a specialised institution of the Central African Economic Union (UEAC), is composed of the States of Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Central African Republic.

Its mission is to improve the safety and efficiency of air transport in its Member States through regulatory harmonisation and safety oversight.

About AESA

AESA is the State body, attached to the Secretary of State for Transport of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, which ensures that civil aviation standards are complied with in all aeronautical activity in Spain.

The Agency has the missions of Supervision, Inspection and Management of Air Transport, Air Navigation and Airport Security. It assesses risks to transport safety and has the power to impose penalties for breaches of civil aviation rules.