Department for Transport: Aviation
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Sierra Leone; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel. (129385).
Answered by Simon Lightwood
In December 2025, one Senior Executive Officer of the Department for Transport travelled to Freetown, Sierra Leone at a cost of one economy return flight (£1,950.42). This visit was approved by the Deputy Director of Aviation Safety, Innovation and Skills at the Department for Transport.
The Department is responsible for ensuring the safety of British Nationals abroad through our international risk governance structures, including the UK Air Safety List. The UK Air Safety List comprises of states and airlines which, to the best of the UK’s knowledge, have failed to demonstrate that they meet relevant international safety standards and are therefore banned from operating into, out of or within the UK.
We have a legal obligation to provide support to States on the UK Air Safety List, of which Sierra Leone is currently listed. This support is provided through various means, including undertaking capacity building visits such as that taken to Sierra Leone to enable them to enhance aviation safety standards.
The Department conducted several virtual sessions with relevant stakeholders ahead of this visit, but a final assessment of a country’s safety maturity is only feasible with onsite analysis and engagement with stakeholders on a technical and political level.
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