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The law regulating civil aviation in Cameroon is law n°98/023 of 24 December 1998 on the regime of civil aviation. It has the objective to:
- Organize the exercise of the activities of civil aviation;
- Promote free competition and the participation of private initiative; and
- Guarantee rational and efficient utilisation of the aeronautic infrastructure and Cameroonian air space.

In this connection, it defines the insurance regime of aircrafts, sanctifies the sovereignty of the state vis-à-vis the Cameroonian air space, enjoins civil aviation operators to prepare and file statistical and financial information to the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA) which maintains a register of all aircrafts operating with Cameroonian nationality. It also spells out how Cameroonian airports shall be used and defines the raison d’être of the CCAA including its role in the leasing and mortgage of aircrafts.

Latter sections of the law provide for conditions for the airworthiness of aircrafts and their free flight and landing, casualty occurrence and liability, accidents and declaration thereof and, the regime of compensation.

This law is applicable to all the domains of civil aviation subject to the international conventions and treaties duly ratified according to section 65 of the 1996 constitution of the Republic of Cameroon. These international instruments include the Chicago Convention, the Geneva Convention on the international recognition of rights in Aircrafts, the Rome Convention , the Warsaw Convention and the Montreal Convention.

Within the spirit of the above cited municipal law and international instruments, all aircrafts operated in Cameroon shall be registered with the CCAA after due inspection and testing by the said aeronautic authority in a concerted endeavour with Bureau Veritas and, a certificate of airworthiness, noise certificate and a certificate of exploitation of radio-electric installation issued before a certificate of registration is delivered. This certificate of registration gives the aircraft Cameroonian nationality. When deregistration is done at any future date, the aircraft loses its Cameroonian nationality.

This is optional, but we usually advise our clients to also register the lease agreement of the aircraft in the department of taxation and record same in the aircraft register of the CCAA and subsequently obtain an extract thereof. Such double registration of the lease agreement is for purposes of perfection of the security interest of the lessor in the aircraft.

The preceding paragraphs present nothing more than a cursory view of the civil aviation law in Cameroon. Feel free to contact us for any further details you may require.

We have a huge experience in civil aviation law and practice in Cameroon. This experience is time-honoured as our firm was in 2003-2004 engaged by Boeing Capital Corporation (a subsidiary of the Boeing Company) to provide legal services in connection with the lease of one Boeing Model 767-200 Airframe with two (2) General Electric Model CF6-80A2 Engines and bearing US registration n° N769BC, now changed to Cameroon marks TJ-AAC and manufacturers serial n°23624 by US Bank, National Association, owner trustee, as lessor and the Republic of Cameroon as lessee. This and our previous (tried and tested by our recent) experience is making us the leading firm in this area of practice. Once consulted, we provide a sound and solid legal opinion in simple language (English or French). One of our clients qualified it comprehensive.