Madagascar Private Jets Face New Approval Rule After Gold Seizure
MADAGASCAR · BUSINESS
Key Facts
- —The new rule Private jets need a special flight authorisation granted by the president or the prime minister.
- —When The Council of Ministers approved the measure on 12 September 2026, local daily Newsmada reported.
- —The trigger About 5.75 kg of gold was seized at Ivato International Airport on 13 September 2026.
- —Who is under inquiry Five customs agents and two airport security staff are implicated, besides the woman carrying the gold.
- —The catch Reports do not say how fast approvals will come or whether any flights are exempt.
- —What comes next The Anti-Corruption Pole in Antananarivo is still investigating the gold case and a 2025 jet flight.
Every private jet leaving Madagascar will need clearance from one of the country’s two most senior leaders, as gold and aviation scandals pile up.
Madagascar private jets will now need a special flight authorisation from the president or the prime minister. The Council of Ministers approved the rule on 12 September 2026, one day before gold was seized at Ivato airport.
What the new rule on Madagascar private jets says
The Council of Ministers met at Iavoloha, the presidential palace, on 12 September 2026. It approved a special flight authorisation for private jets, Newsmada reported.
Clearance must come from President Michaël Randrianirina or Prime Minister Mamitiana Rajaonarison. RFI, the French public broadcaster, said each jet needs a green light signed personally by one of them.
Randrianirina, an army colonel, was sworn in as head of state on 17 October 2025. His formal title is President of the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar.
Rajaonarison has led the government since 15 March 2026. In practice, the decision on each private jet now sits with the two highest offices of the state.
The gold seizure at Ivato airport
On Sunday 13 September 2026, officers stopped a woman carrying gold bars at Ivato International Airport, near the capital Antananarivo. The suitcase was already on board the aircraft when it was recovered, the president said.
Customs Director General Antoine Randrianjafy said the seizure came from cooperation between the Presidency of the Refoundation and customs. The first reported weight was 5.75 kg.
After checks, the gold weighed 5 kg 678 g and is now held at the Central Bank of Madagascar. The Agency for the Recovery of Illicit Assets (ARAI) is in charge of keeping it.
Inside the investigation
The case sits with the Anti-Corruption Pole (PAC) in Antananarivo. Its acting prosecutor, Ramorasata Jessé, said seven people are implicated besides the woman carrying the gold.
Five are customs agents and two work for SPSS, the airport security company. Investigators are still trying to find who owns the gold and who runs the network.
Their questioning does not settle any responsibility at this stage, Madagascar Tribune noted. The paper counted more than 12 kg of gold intercepted in five operations in the first half of 2026.
What the president says about a gold network
Randrianirina went to the airport during the operation. He said the group behind the shipment sent gold abroad twice a week, L’Express de Madagascar reported.
RFI reported that he also spoke of an earlier shipment of at least 16 kg that escaped controls. That figure is his claim and has not been independently confirmed.
He said security cameras had already identified state employees and their helpers. He plans to place dedicated agents at every inspection step, right up to boarding.
A similar step was taken under his predecessor in July 2024, when a controller general with full powers was named. The gaps returned months later, L’Express de Madagascar noted.
The jet flight that still hangs over the rules
The rule also follows a flight in October 2025. A Cessna jet registered 5R-HMR left Ivato for Mauritius on the night of 11 to 12 October 2025.
Former prime minister Christian Ntsay and businessman Mamy Ravatomanga were on board, according to L’Express de Madagascar and RFI. The flight came just before the fall of Andry Rajoelina’s government.
In January 2026, the Civil Aviation of Madagascar (ACM) filed a complaint with the PAC. It said the jet left without a valid flight plan or proper exit authorisation.
Mauritius is running its own inquiry, and RFI reports that 37 people have been questioned there. A separate investigation continues in Madagascar.
A second aviation scandal: Boeing 777s in Iran
In 2025, five Boeing 777 aircraft received provisional Malagasy registration papers and later turned up in Iran. They went to Mahan Air, an Iranian airline under US sanctions, Agence Ecofin reported.
The then transport minister, Valery Ramonjavelo, was dismissed on 30 July 2025 as the affair broke. Two suspects were arrested soon after.
Why this matters for expats and investors
Business travellers, mining firms and charter operators who use private jets should allow more time before departure. Every such flight now depends on a signature from the top of the state.
Operators should keep flight plans and exit authorisations complete and ready. The 2025 Cessna complaint turned on exactly those two documents.
Gold exporters and freight firms at Ivato can expect stricter checks. The president said everyone working at the airport — whatever their employer — will be searched.
For investors, the signal is a government moving to control exits directly. The real test is whether cases end in court rulings, not only announcements.
What is not yet known
Reports do not say how long approval will take, or whether medical and humanitarian flights are exempt. They also do not say whether the rule is temporary.
The owner of the seized gold has not been identified. It is also unclear who, beyond the seven people under inquiry, runs the network.
The next steps to watch are the full text of the jet rule and the PAC’s findings on the gold case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must approve a private jet flight in Madagascar now?
President Michaël Randrianirina or Prime Minister Mamitiana Rajaonarison. The Council of Ministers approved this on 12 September 2026.
How much gold was seized at Ivato airport?
About 5.75 kg at first count, and 5 kg 678 g after checks. It is now held at the Central Bank of Madagascar.
Does the rule affect passengers on regular airlines?
The reported rule concerns private jets. Passengers on regular flights should still expect closer searches at Ivato after the gold case.
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Sources: Council of Ministers decision of 12 September 2026 as reported by Newsmada; RFI; Anti-Corruption Pole of Antananarivo via Moov.mg; L’Express de Madagascar; Madagascar Tribune; 2424.mg; Agence Ecofin.
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