Libreville airport fees: the new $30 API-PNR fee and the charges in your ticket
At Libreville's Léon-Mba airport the fees are added to your ticket, not paid in cash. In June 2026 Gabon created a US$30 API-PNR fee on international arrivals and departures to finance a passenger data system, and raised the airport security fee to 23,000 CFA for international trips. The R4 passenger charge for the airport concession is 42,638 CFA in economy on international flights over two hours. IATA has asked for the API-PNR fee to be suspended.
Every charge at this airport
| Charge | Amount | Who pays | How it is paid | Set by | Collected by / goes to | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| API-PNR passenger data fee Created in law. The government published the partnership, the fee clarification and the October system presentation. IATA asked for suspension on 6 August 2026. In mid-October the equipment had been presented, but we found no primary evidence that airlines had begun collecting the fee, so it remains Unconfirmed. 17,18,19,4,12,13,14 | US$30 each way | Passengers on international commercial flights, arriving and departing, at Libreville, Port-Gentil and Franceville. Domestic flights excluded. Transit and connecting passengers, children under two and crew are exempt. | Inside the ticket, at issue | Interministerial arrêté No. 00000109/MTMML/MEFDPLVC of 10 June 2026, Journal officiel of 19 June 2026, under a concession dated 21 May 2026 | Airlines. Split 75% to the contractor and 25% to ONSFAG for the first five years, moving to 50/50 by the final five | Unconfirmed |
| Airport security fee (WZ) One airline said the increase waits on an IATA tax table update. Another report gives up to 22,000 CFA for international. 1,6 | 23,000 CFA international · 18,000 CFA CEMAC · 7,000 CFA domestic | Passengers, per trip | Inside the ticket | Arrêté of 10 June 2026 (previously 10,000 / 7,000 / 3,000 CFA) | Airlines, for the state security bodies | Unconfirmed |
| R4 passenger charge FlyGabon stopped collecting R4 on its own flights in August 2026 pending talks. The older 21,000 CFA figure still shown in some places comes from the ASECNA publication valid from 28 December 2023, before the rise. 7,8,9,15,16 | International over 2 hours: 42,638 CFA economy, 49,200 CFA first/business. Under 2 hours: 32,798 / 42,638 CFA. Domestic: 6,560 CFA | Departing passengers | Inside the ticket, paid over monthly by airlines | Arrêté No. 085 of 13 November 2025 (Economy and Transport ministers), Journal officiel No. 100, in force from 26 February 2026 | GSEZ Airport, the airport concessionaire | In force |
| API-PNR freight fee 1 | US$0.50 per kg | International air freight, not passengers | Charged on the freight | Arrêté No. 00000109/MTMML/MEFDPLVC of 10 June 2026 | Same split as the passenger fee | Unconfirmed |
| VAT on domestic tickets 10 | 18% | Domestic passengers | Inside the ticket | 2026 supplementary finance law | State | In force |
| Regional air safety fee (RSAR) 11 | Not yet set | Passengers | Through IATA | ASSA-AC, the regional aviation safety body, approved for the 2026 budget | ASSA-AC | Proposed only |
Evidence summary: 19 linked sources; 2 charges confirmed in force; 3 unconfirmed. Suspended and proposed charges are not treated as payable now.
How to pay
- Nothing to pay in cash at the airport. All charges are added to your ticket.
- Your ticket receipt lists each charge by code. The security fee appears as WZ.
Where the money goes
The API-PNR fee pays for a system that receives passenger and booking data before flights arrive. The decree splits the fee 75% to the contracted operator and 25% to ONSFAG for the first five years, then moves gradually to an even split.
The R4 passenger charge goes to GSEZ Airport, the airport concessionaire.
What this page does not cover
This page does not cover visa fees or other Gabonese airports in detail, and it is not legal advice.
Common questions
Do I pay the $30 API-PNR fee at Libreville airport?
No. It is added to the ticket when it is issued, not paid at the airport. We have not yet confirmed that airlines have started charging it.
Does the API-PNR fee apply to domestic flights?
No. The government said on 6 July 2026 that domestic flights are excluded.
Who does not pay the API-PNR fee?
Transit and connecting passengers, children under two and crew, according to reports of the arrêté.
Why do some sites say the passenger charge is 21,000 CFA?
That was the rate before 2026, as listed in the ASECNA aeronautical publication valid from 28 December 2023. The R4 charge rose under an arrêté of November 2025 that took effect on 26 February 2026.
Sources
- EcoMatin: Gabon creates a $30 fee on international passengers
- Gabonreview: new airport charges, the security bet
- Gabon Media Time: the government clarifies the new tax on international flights
- Gabon Media Time: IATA asks for suspension of the API-PNR fee
- Gabonreview: Léon-Mba airport, detecting risky passengers before arrival (October 2026)
- Gabon Media Time: 80 billion CFA of airport charges a year
- Gabon Media Time: passenger charge rises
- Gabonreview: R4 passenger charge, why tickets will cost more
- Gabon Media Time: FlyGabon suspends R4 collection
- Gabon Media Time: up to 52,480 CFA of R4 for a domestic return
- Gabon Media Time: CEMAC regional air safety fee
- La Médiane: ANAC says the API-PNR fee is compulsory (1 September 2026)
- WeAreTech Africa: Gabon deploys advance passenger analysis system (14 October 2026)
- Gabonreview: IATA raises the alarm on the $30 per passenger fee (26 August 2026)
- Gabon Media Time: IATA warns on the new R4 (24 March 2026)
- ASECNA eAIP Gabon, GEN 4.3 airport charges (valid from 28 December 2023)
- Government of Gabon: clarification of the charge applied to international travellers (7 July 2026)
- Government of Gabon: airport-security partnerships announced (21 May 2026)
- Government of Gabon: passenger-control system presentation (13 October 2026)
Change log
- : Page published.
- : Added the full arrêté number, the API-PNR exemptions and freight fee, the status of collection in October 2026, and the R4 start date.
- : Added three primary Government of Gabon sources and kept collection status Unconfirmed pending direct evidence.