South Sudan launches its first airspace management system

South Sudan launched on Monday a national air management system built by China, hailing the inauguration of the facility as a step towards full control of its skies. The war-ravaged east African country previously relied on a 2016 agreement with neighbouring Sudan to control its airspace.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. President Salva Kiir announced on a social media that the country had inaugurated its "first fully operational independent airspace management system" under a deal with China, which also trained more than 80 South Sudanese technicians.