Directory · 42 entries

Airport bodies and their roles at Freetown International Airport

Several public bodies and private contractors share the work at Freetown International Airport. The Airports Authority manages the airport under a 1988 law ¹. The Civil Aviation Authority regulates under the Civil Aviation Act 2023 ². Summa runs the new terminal under a concession ³. Securiport supplies border technology to the government ⁴. This directory gives each body's role, legal basis and the fees or functions it controls, with dated sources.

Last checked 24 October 2026

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Sierra Leone Airports Authority (SLAA)
Type
Public body
Role at the airport
Manages Freetown International Airport and Hastings Airfield ¹
Legal basis
Act No. 8 of 1988 ¹
Fees or functions it controls
Navigation service, procurement and business opportunities listed on its site ¹
Official site
slaa.gov.sl ¹
Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA)
Type
Regulator
Role at the airport
Regulates civil aviation, enforces the National Civil Aviation Security Programme and certifies aerodromes ²
Legal basis
Created April 2008 ⁵. Now Civil Aviation Act 2023, Act No. 27 of 2023 ²
Fees or functions it controls
Safety charge on air tickets and freight, charges for its services, ticket sales charge ²
Official site
slcaa.gov.sl ⁵
Sierra Leone Immigration Department
Type
Public body
Role at the airport
Immigration services at the airport. Its Audit Committee inspected Securiport equipment there on 20 June 2026 ⁶
Fees or functions it controls
eVisa portal at evisa.sl, passports and permits ⁷. Passport fee 100 USD ⁸
Official site
slid.gov.sl ⁷
Ministry of Internal Affairs
Type
Ministry
Role at the airport
Issued the July 2026 notice on the security fee and the Securiport contract ⁴
Fees or functions it controls
Suspended the US$25 Airport Security Fee from 6 July 2026 ⁴. Issued the 2019 visa on arrival policy through the Immigration Service ⁹
Ministry of Transport and Aviation
Type
Ministry
Role at the airport
Presented the airport concession agreement to Parliament ¹⁰
Fees or functions it controls
Guided the 2023 aviation security contract with the Civil Aviation Authority ¹¹
Summa Airports (SL) Limited
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Built and runs the new terminal under a build, operate and transfer deal ^3,12
Legal basis
Agreement dated 12 November 2020, ratified 16 December 2020 ¹². Amended version ratified 11 May 2021 ¹⁰
Fees or functions it controls
Right to run the airport for 25 years, per a press release on Runway Girl Network ³
Securiport (SL) Limited
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Passenger data and border technology contractor ⁴
Legal basis
Contract with the Government of Sierra Leone, under review from July 2026 ⁴
Fees or functions it controls
Collected the US$25 fee from 1 September 2022 ¹³. Fee suspended from 6 July 2026 ⁴. Logs inbound and outbound passenger data ⁴
Official site
securipass.sl for fee payment, provider page ¹⁴
Westminster Aviation Security Services
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Aviation security services at Freetown International Airport ¹¹
Legal basis
Contract with Summa Airports Limited signed 25 April 2023 ¹¹
Fees or functions it controls
Aviation security services under the contract ¹¹
Audit Service Sierra Leone
Type
Oversight
Role at the airport
Audits public accounts, including airport bodies ¹⁵
Fees or functions it controls
Annual reports with findings on SLAA and SLCAA ¹⁵. Special audit of the security fee arrangement, cited July 2026 ⁴
Official site
auditservice.gov.sl ¹⁵
Anti-Corruption Commission
Type
Oversight
Role at the airport
Investigated SLAA loans flagged by the Auditor General ¹⁶
Fees or functions it controls
Found the loans used as intended and recommended monitoring of repayment ¹⁶
Official site
anticorruption.gov.sl ¹⁶
Parliament of Sierra Leone
Type
Oversight
Role at the airport
Ratified the airport concession agreement on 16 December 2020 ¹²
Fees or functions it controls
Ratified the amended agreement on 11 May 2021 ¹⁰
National Tourist Board
Type
Public body
Role at the airport
Runs a tourist information booth at the airport, open daily 10 am to 9 pm ¹⁷
Legal basis
Tourism Development Act 1990, per its site ²⁵
Fees or functions it controls
Publishes visitor visa guidance ¹⁷
Official site
tourismsierraleone.com ¹⁷
European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC)
Type
International
Role at the airport
Ran a security equipment inspection course at the airport in March 2025 under CASE II ¹⁸
Fees or functions it controls
Training under the CASE II project ¹⁸
European Commission Air Safety Committee
Type
International
Role at the airport
Placed Sierra Leone on the EU Air Safety List in 2008, per SLCAA ¹⁹
Fees or functions it controls
Agreed a removal roadmap with SLCAA on 25 April 2024 ¹⁹
ECOWAS Commission
Type
International
Role at the airport
Monitors the regional cut in air transport taxes and charges through a Regional Air Transport Economic Oversight Mechanism ²⁰
Legal basis
Supplementary Act on Aviation Charges, Taxes and Fees, adopted by heads of state in December 2024 ²⁰
Fees or functions it controls
Directs states to abolish air transport taxes and cut passenger and security charges by 25 percent from 1 January 2026 ²⁰
Official site
ecowas.int ²⁰
ECOWAS Air Transport Economic Oversight Committee
Type
International
Role at the airport
Held its first meeting in Lomé on 2 and 3 July 2026, chaired by Togo's Transport Minister ²¹
Fees or functions it controls
Tracks national progress on the tax and charge cuts, with reports due in July and December 2026 ²¹
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Type
International
Role at the airport
Audited Sierra Leone safety oversight from 8 to 12 May 2006 and found all eight critical elements deficient, per SLCAA ⁵
Fees or functions it controls
Security audits under USAP, including a 2019 security audit ²²
ICAO West and Central African Office, Dakar
Type
International
Role at the airport
Gave three days of remote help on the 2019 security audit corrective action plan in 2020 ²²
Fees or functions it controls
Technical assistance on aviation security and facilitation ²²
CAA International
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Appointed by ICAO in May 2019 to help SLCAA fix safety oversight gaps, funded by the ICAO SAFE Fund ²³
Fees or functions it controls
Corrective action plan, inspector training and procedures, per a May 2019 press release ²³
National Revenue Authority
Type
Public body
Role at the airport
Receives the Foreign Travel Tax collected by ticket issuers ²⁴
Legal basis
Foreign Travel (Ticket) Tax Act, 1975, as amended by Act No. 4 of 2004 ²⁴
Fees or functions it controls
Foreign Travel Tax, given on its undated site as 10% of the normal return fare ²⁴ and in its October 2022 guide as US$25 to US$250, citing the Finance Act 2017 ³⁷
Official site
nra.gov.sl ²⁴
Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs
Type
Ministry
Role at the airport
Says a 2% Tourism Levy under the Finance Act 2023 has been piloted, in an undated article ³⁸
Fees or functions it controls
Awoko, with no byline, reported in October 2024 that the levy would apply to restaurants and hotels ²⁶. No start date given ^26,38
Air Sierra Leone
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Described by BusinessDay as the new flag carrier, first Lagos flight on 22 January 2025 ²⁷
Legal basis
Regional route under a Nigerian certificate and UK route under a UK certificate, per SLCAA ²⁸
Fees or functions it controls
London Gatwick service operated by Ascend Airways from 26 April 2025, as reported by Aviation Week ²⁹
Ascend Airways
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Operated the first London Gatwick to Freetown flight for Air Sierra Leone on 26 April 2025 ²⁹
Fees or functions it controls
Three weekly flights from 16 June 2025 ²⁹
Overland Airways
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Lagos to Freetown flights from 19 December 2024, three times a week ³⁰
Fees or functions it controls
Embraer E175 with 88 seats ³⁰
Great Scarcies and MV Mahera Ferries
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Ran the Kissy to Tagrin ferries, per its general manager in June 2016 ³¹
Fees or functions it controls
Five ferries in 2016, four under maintenance, repairs funded by the Ministry of Transport and Aviation ³¹
Sea Coach Express
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Private water taxi between Lungi and Freetown, timed to flights ³²
Fees or functions it controls
Its timetable is linked from the Airports Authority schedule page ³³
SeaBird Water Taxi
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Private water taxi between Lungi and Freetown, timed to flights ³²
Fees or functions it controls
Courtesy bus from the airport to the Lungi jetty ³²
UNDP Sierra Leone
Type
International
Role at the airport
Tendered a ferry and tourism feasibility study on 29 May 2025 ³⁴
Fees or functions it controls
Study scope includes Tagrin Terminal and Government Wharf ³⁴
African Airlines Association (AFRAA)
Type
International
Role at the airport
Ranked Sierra Leone second after Gabon for air travel taxes and fees in 2024, as reported by BusinessDay ³⁵
Board of Airline Representatives
Type
Industry body
Role at the airport
Took part in an ICAO security audit at Lungi, per an undated Awoko report with no byline ³⁶
Mano River Union Secretariat
Type
International
Role at the airport
Regional union of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, created in 1973 ³⁹
Legal basis
Guinea joined in 1980 and Côte d'Ivoire in 2008 ³⁹
Fees or functions it controls
Strategic plan includes border security and management ³⁹
Official site
mru.int ³⁹
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Sierra Leone
Type
International
Role at the airport
Supported construction of two joint border posts on the Guinea border, inaugurated 3 November 2022 ⁴⁰
Fees or functions it controls
Donated police patrol motorcycles and VHF radios to border agencies ⁴⁰
National Public Health Agency
Type
Public body
Role at the airport
Runs the Sierra Leone Health Travel Portal for all travellers on entry and exit ⁴¹
Fees or functions it controls
Health Declaration Form, to be filled not more than 72 hours before travel ⁴¹
Official site
poep.npha.gov.sl ⁴¹
National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NACOVERC)
Type
Public body
Role at the airport
Co-issued the July 2020 COVID-19 travel advisory for the airport. Historical ⁴³
Fees or functions it controls
Arrival and departure PCR testing paid through travel.gov.sl ⁴³
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Type
International
Role at the airport
Deployed staff to Sierra Leone from 9 August 2014 to advise on Ebola exit screening. Historical ⁴²
Fees or functions it controls
Advice to ministries of health and airport authorities on exit screening ⁴²
UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS)
Type
International
Role at the airport
Named by the Logistics Cluster as the only domestic air operator in Sierra Leone, undated page ⁴⁴
Fees or functions it controls
Used upcountry strips and helipads during the Ebola response ⁴⁴
Versatile Air Services
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Private charter company offering domestic passenger and cargo flights, per the Logistics Cluster ⁴⁴
Aquila Company (SL) Limited
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Briefed the President on 19 February 2020 on plans to rehabilitate and expand Hastings airfield ⁴⁵
Fees or functions it controls
Proposal only. No cost or timeline given ⁴⁵
Paramount Airlines
Type
Company
Role at the airport
Ran passenger helicopter shuttles between Freetown and Lungi in 2007, as reported by Reuters. Historical ⁴⁶
Fees or functions it controls
Its Mi-8 helicopter crashed at Lungi in June 2007, killing 22, as reported by Reuters ⁴⁶
ECOWAS Parliament
Type
International
Role at the airport
Ran a fact-finding mission on free movement at Liberia's borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea in September 2018 ⁴⁷
Fees or functions it controls
Heard trader complaints of harassment and money demands by security forces ⁴⁷
Gbalamuya border post
Type
Public body
Role at the airport
Land crossing to Pamelap in Guinea, in Kambia District, listed open 0700 to 1900 daily ⁴⁸
Fees or functions it controls
Managed by the National Revenue Authority, with Customs and Immigration present ⁴⁸
Bo Waterside Temporary Joint Border Post
Type
International
Role at the airport
ECOWAS interim post on the Liberia border, reported open on 26 August 2026 ⁴⁹
Fees or functions it controls
To house border security, immigration, customs and other agencies during construction of the permanent post ⁴⁹

Notes

The ground handling company at the airport was not confirmed in an official source and is not listed ¹.
The legal basis of the Immigration Department and the terms of the Securiport contract were not found in a published document ^4,7.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@sierraleoneairportguide.com.

Sierra Leone Airports Authority (SLAA)

Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA)

Sierra Leone Immigration Department

Ministry of Internal Affairs

Ministry of Transport and Aviation

Summa Airports (SL) Limited

Securiport (SL) Limited

Westminster Aviation Security Services

Audit Service Sierra Leone

Anti-Corruption Commission

Parliament of Sierra Leone

National Tourist Board

European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC)

European Commission Air Safety Committee

ECOWAS Commission

ECOWAS Air Transport Economic Oversight Committee

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

ICAO West and Central African Office, Dakar

CAA International

National Revenue Authority

Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs

Air Sierra Leone

Ascend Airways

Overland Airways

Great Scarcies and MV Mahera Ferries

Sea Coach Express

SeaBird Water Taxi

UNDP Sierra Leone

African Airlines Association (AFRAA)

Board of Airline Representatives

Mano River Union Secretariat

International Organization for Migration (IOM) Sierra Leone

National Public Health Agency

National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NACOVERC)

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS)

Versatile Air Services

Aquila Company (SL) Limited

Paramount Airlines

ECOWAS Parliament

Gbalamuya border post

Bo Waterside Temporary Joint Border Post

Notes

Sources