South Sudan regulator orders cleanup of Juba airport

The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority has ordered all operators at Juba to remove grounded, unserviceable, or abandoned aircraft from taxiways, aprons, and other movement areas within 30 days or face enforcement action, according to a directive issued on January 10.

The authority said that such aircraft pose "serious safety, security, and operational risks" and restrict the efficient use of the aerodrome's infrastructure.

While the SSCAA did not mention specific aircraft, the digital newspaper Sudans Post reported that the directive signalled an effort by Ayiei Garang Deng Ayiei, the regulator's new director general appointed in December 2025, to improve safety oversight at the country’s main international gateway.

​In November 2025, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) rehabilitated and returned land that had been occupied by the peacekeeping mission next to Juba International Airport in an effort that included moving 300 shipping containers and relocating a hangar and accommodation units.

The last documented clashes near the airport date back to 2016, when gun battles forced closure of the airport amid a civil war that began in 2013.

According to ch-aviation and ADS-B data, operators currently serving Juba include Ethiopian Airlines (which holds a 28% market share in terms of weekly seats), Kush Air Uganda, Badr Airlines, Uganda Airlines, Fanjet Express, Kenya Airways, Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir, Salaam Air Express, Tarco Aviation, Safe Air, Mombasa Air Safari, Mission Aviation Fellowship of South Sudan, and Boskovic Air Charters.

Source: https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/162667-south-sudan-regulator-orders-cleanup-of-juba-airport