Air Botswana Corporation is
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
's state-owned national
flag carrier, with its headquarters located in
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
. It operates scheduled domestic and regional flights from its main base at
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport , located north of downtown Gaborone, is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named after Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana. It was opened in 1984 ...
. Air Botswana has been loss-making for several years, and there have been various attempts to privatise the company, and frequent changes to the corporation's management and board, so far without reducing the losses.
History
Formative years (1972–1986)
Air Botswana (Pty.) Limited was founded on the 2nd of July 1972 to succeed two failed former
national airline
A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations.
Hist ...
s:
Botswana National Airways
Botswana National Airways was an airline based in Gaborone, Botswana.
The airline took over services from Bechuanaland National Airways which ceased operations in late 1966. The airline was formed by Johnny Gibson under the leadership of D. Morga ...
(1966–1969) and Botswana Airways Corporation (1970–1971).
Air Botswana Holdings was responsible for the ownership and leasing of aircraft, and served as the
holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
for Air Botswana. During the early formative years, Air Botswana (Pty.) Limited acted as a contractor for numerous flight services, which were contracted to South African Protea Airways, via a local subsidiary, Air Services Botswana.
Flight operations began on 1 August 1972 utilising the only aircraft of the company: a
Fokker F-27 Friendship
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Europe ...
. Throughout the 1970s, Air Botswana operated a round-trip route from
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
-
Manzini-
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
-
Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
-
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
, in addition to domestic services to
Francistown
Francistown is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 and 147,122 inhabitants for its agglomeration at the 2022 census. and often described as the "''Capital of the North''" or as the natives would have it “''T ...
,
Maun and
Selebi-Phikwe
Selebi-Phikwe (also spelt ''Selibe Phikwe'') is a mining town located in the Central District of Botswana. It had a population of 42,488 in 2022. The town is an administrative district, separate from the surrounding Central District.
Mining
...
. By the late 1970s, Air Botswana operated one
HS 748
The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed and initially produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. It was the last aircraft to be developed by Avro prior to its absorption by Hawker Siddeley ...
, one
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
and one
Vickers Viscount 754, the latter on lease from Protea Airways.
The contract with Air Services Botswana for operation of the airline was not renewed, and in 1981
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
was awarded a contract for the operation of the airline for a six-year period. Also in 1981,
Botswana Development Corporation was formed as a part of Air Botswana Holdings, with the corporation being tasked to acquire an aircraft for the airline to lease. The Fokker F27 was again chosen, and because of a lack of their own trained crews, the airline seconded crews from
Comair and contracted maintenance out to
Safair Freighters. In 1983 a
Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules
The Lockheed L-100 Hercules is the civilian variant of the prolific C-130 Hercules military Cargo aircraft, transport aircraft made by the Lockheed Corporation. Its first flight occurred in 1964. Longer L-100-20 and L-100-30 versions were deve ...
was leased and Air Botswana Cargo was formed to operate
cargo
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...
charters, and when
South African Airways
South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operated a hub-and-spoke network, serving ten destin ...
ended services to Lesotho and Swaziland, a second F27 was acquired and services to
Maseru
Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. The ...
and
Manzini were inaugurated. A sixteen-seat
Dornier 228-200 was leased in December 1984 from Kalahari Air Service, with the latter flying and maintaining the aircraft for Air Botswana.
The 57 million
pula
Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport , located north of downtown Gaborone, is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named after Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana. It was opened in 1984 ...
opened on 10 December 1984, seeing Air Botswana operating from the airport.
By the end of 1986, the route network included
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
,
Francistown
Francistown is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 and 147,122 inhabitants for its agglomeration at the 2022 census. and often described as the "''Capital of the North''" or as the natives would have it “''T ...
,
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
,
Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
,
Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...
,
Manzini,
Maseru
Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. The ...
, Maun,
Selebi-Phikwe
Selebi-Phikwe (also spelt ''Selibe Phikwe'') is a mining town located in the Central District of Botswana. It had a population of 42,488 in 2022. The town is an administrative district, separate from the surrounding Central District.
Mining
...
and
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animal ...
.
Government corporation
On 1 April 1988, Air Botswana was absorbed by the
Botswana government as a
parastatal corporation under the
Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications
The Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications is a government ministry of Tanzania. It was created in 2010 and is responsible for promoting a quality, efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective construction industry that facilit ...
as a result of the ''Air Botswana Act (1988)'', and became the nation's
flag carrier.
Also in April 1988, Air Botswana became the first airline from the
Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) to establish air links with Namibia. Air Botswana operations are regulated by the
Department of Civil Aviation under the ''Civil Aviation Act (1977)''.
Two
ATR 42–230 arrived in 1988, leading to the sale of the Fokkers, and the first
BAe 146
The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro International ...
arrived in November 1989. The BAe 146 entered service on 12 November on the
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
-
Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
route, operated five times per week in conjunction with
Air Zimbabwe, along with other destinations of the network of the airline in
southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...
. The airline also entered into block-seat arrangements with international airlines, including an agreement with
British Caledonian which provided seats on the
Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...
-
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
sector of the London-
Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...
-
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
service.
In December 1992, the government enacted the ''Control of Smoking Act (1992)'', and Air Botswana became the first company in Botswana to respond to the act by banning
smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke is typically breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, which have bee ...
on all domestic flights in 1993, which was later extended to all flights in the
Southern African Development Community region in 1995. Whilst the years 1988 to 1993 saw Air Botswana incurring financial losses, in 1994 the government wrote off P74 million of the airline's losses and converted them into equity.
Destruction of fleet (1999)
On 11 October 1999, the airline was crippled when one of its pilots, Chris Phatswe,
crashed an empty ATR 42 aircraft into
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport , located north of downtown Gaborone, is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named after Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana. It was opened in 1984 ...
, destroying the aircraft and two more Air Botswana ATR 42s.
Phatswe had stolen the aircraft in the early morning, and once in the air had informed the
air traffic control tower
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...
that he intended to kill himself;
and requested by radio to speak to several people, including
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Festus Mogae
Festus Gontebanye Mogae (born 21 August 1939) is a Botswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004; after ten y ...
and the airline's
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
. As Mogae was out of the country, arrangements were made for Phatswe to speak to
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
Seretse Ian Khama
Seretse Khama Ian Khama (born 27 February 1953) is a Botswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence ...
,
who expressed willingness to speak to Phatswe.
After the aircraft circled Gaborone for two hours, Phatswe crashed it at a speed of into the airline's two other ATR 42s, which were parked on the apron, destroying all three aircraft.
The incident left the company with only a single
BAe 146
The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro International ...
, which had been non-operational for a year because of technical problems, forcing the airline to lease an aircraft to operate scheduled flights.
It was revealed that Phatswe had been grounded for medical reasons, was refused reinstatement, and was regrounded until February 2000.
Privatisation attempts
Because the airline had been regularly posting financial losses, which in part is due to overstaffing, the operation of an ageing, fuel-inefficient fleet, increasing operational costs, inadequate management expertise and an inability to retain and attract qualified pilots, the government earmarked Air Botswana to be the first of the parastatals to be
privatised. The costs which the airline incurs, in conjunction with low quality of service, poor marketing, high insurance premiums and a slow uptake on new technology, has restricted growth potential for the airline. However, in the five years to 2003, the government had not had to subsidise Air Botswana, and in the previous six years had made a profit.
The privatisation process began on 19 April 2000, when the government signed a consultancy agreement with
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
-affiliated
International Finance Corporation, which saw IFC being appointed as the government's main adviser in the privatisation process.
In 2003, the government attempted to privatise the airline, with
Air Mauritius
Air Mauritius is the flag carrier airline of Mauritius. The airline is headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, with its hub based at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. The company was placed in voluntary administration on 22 April ...
and
Comair put forward as strategic partners. The process would have seen the winning bidder receiving a 45% stake in Air Botswana, with the government holding a further 45%, and employees holding the remaining 10%. It was planned that once the airline has firmed its position under new ownership, it would be listed on the
Botswana Stock Exchange. Air Mauritius withdrew from the process in September 2003, citing the downturn in global air travel markets since the
11 September 2001 terrorist attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...
in New York City. Comair withdrew in December 2003, due in part to increased competition by
low-cost airlines in the South African market. The government suspended the search for a strategic partner in February 2004.
Following a P300 million loss in the first quarter of 2006, the ''
Sunday Standard
''The Sunday Standard'' was an English-language weekly newspaper in Sri Lanka published by Standard Newspapers (Private) Limited, part of Communication and Business Equipment (Private) Limited (CBE). It was founded in 2006 and published from Colo ...
'' reported that the government hurriedly began efforts to privatise the airline before it became insolvent. The newspaper also revealed that the airline defaulted on its US$42,000 – 45,000 payments for the lease of the BAe 146 from April — July 2006, and that the arrears were paid once the airline's Secretary and Corporate Counsel warned that non-compliance with the contracts could lead to the termination of the lease of the aircraft and expose the corporation to claims for damages, which would affect its image during the privatisation process. In September 2006 it was announced that three potential investors had placed bids for the tender to take over the airline:
Airlink of South Africa, African World Airways Ltd, and Lobtrans (Ltd), a local truck fuel transporter. Shortlisted companies which did not submit bids included
Ethiopian Airlines,
Comair, Tourism Empowerment Group,
ExecuJet, and
Interair South Africa
Inter Aviation Services (Pty) Ltd, which traded as Interair South Africa, was a privately owned airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It operated scheduled passenger services from Johannesburg to regional destinations in Africa. Its main b ...
. In November 2006, the Public Enterprises Evaluation and Privatisation Agency announced that Airlink has been put forward by the
Ministry of Works and Transport as the preferred bidder for Air Botswana.
It was revealed by the press that Nico Czypionka, the man responsible for leading negotiations between the government and Airlink, had convinced the government as early as April 2006 to go into partnership with the South African airline. It was alleged that the deal with Airlink was a foregone conclusion from the beginning of the process, and that other airlines had been invited to submit bids to create and illusion of fair and equitable processes. The ''
Sunday Standard
''The Sunday Standard'' was an English-language weekly newspaper in Sri Lanka published by Standard Newspapers (Private) Limited, part of Communication and Business Equipment (Private) Limited (CBE). It was founded in 2006 and published from Colo ...
'' also revealed that the blueprint for the privatisation of the airline was written by Airlink
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
Roger Foster, and was used by Botswana in its negotiations with the airline, in contravention of the ''Botswana Privatisation Policy of 2003''.
As part of the proposed deal with
Airlink, it announced that Air Botswana would be
wound up
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...
, and a new airline to be known as ''Botswana Airlink'' would be formed, with the government holding a controlling 50.1% share and the South African airline holding the remaining 49.9%.
The new airline would have disposed of the 46-seat ATR 42s, and would instead operate 29-seat
BAe Jetstream 41
The British Aerospace Jetstream 41 is a turboprop-powered feederliner and regional airliner, designed by British Aerospace as a stretched version of the popular Jetstream 31. Intended to compete directly with 30-seat aircraft like the Embraer ...
s, which are more suited to low traffic domestic routes. The deal would also have seen the
retrenchment of all 300 employees of Air Botswana, with approximately 180 being rehired by the new airline.
The Government ceased negotiations with Airlink in October 2007, when the Cabinet reached a decision that the deal was no longer viable. A major sticking point, according to
Mmegi
''Mmegi'' is an English-language national newspaper in Botswana, with occasional articles or comments in Setswana. Established in 1984, it is now published daily online and weekly on print format by Dikgang Publishing House in the capital, Gabor ...
, was that Airlink was adamant in replacing the
national colours
National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have ''de facto'' national colours that have become well ...
of blue, black and white, with those of South Africa.
The Cabinet also believed the proposal didn't meet requirements for air transport for the country, and didn't address government objectives for the further development of transport and tourism sectors in Botswana, although the tourism industry regards Air Botswana's monopoly of
air transport
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
in Botswana, and the resultant high fares and limited schedules, to be a major constraint for the development of
tourism in Botswana
Botswana's principal tourist attractions are its game reserves, with hunting and photographic safaris available. Other attractions include the Okavango Delta region, which during the rainy season is a maze of waterways, islands, and lakes. The t ...
.
The government then began the search for a management company to operate the company for a three-year period, and also announced that the government would recapitalise the airline by injecting P100 million to improve performance and to make it more attractive for privatisation. The government entered into negotiations with Comair, but following disagreements over terms, negotiations continued with reserve bidder International Development Ireland, in conjunction with
Aer Arann
Stobart Air, legally incorporated as ''Stobart Air Unlimited Company'', was an Irish regional airline headquartered in Dublin. It operated scheduled services under the brands Aer Lingus Regional, BA CityFlyer and KLM Cityhopper on behalf of the ...
.
According to press reports in August 2008,
Alexander Lebedev, a Russian
oligarch, expressed interest in investing in the airline, and the Ministry of Works and Transport confirmed that Lebedev was invited to travel to Gaborone to present his bid to the government. Part of the bid reportedly included extending Air Botswana's route network to
Düsseldorf Airport; the base of
Blue Wings
Blue Wings AG was a charter airline based in Germany, focusing on serving Turkey, the Middle East and Russia from its base at Düsseldorf Airport. The headquarters were located on the airport property.
History Early years and growth
Blue Wing ...
which is 48% owned by Lebedev's
National Reserve Corporation
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
. At the end of 2008, it was reported that Lebedev had abandoned plans for investment in Air Botswana.
Recent history
In December 2008, Air Botswana signed a deal with
ATR ATR may refer to:
Medicine
* Acute transfusion reaction
* Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related, a protein involved in DNA damage repair
Science and mathematics
* Advanced Test Reactor, nuclear research reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory, ...
for two 68-seat
ATR 72–500 regional airliner
A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically flown by the re ...
s worth US$37 million. The aircraft were delivered in March 2009, and it was announced that routes linking
Kasane
Kasane is a town in Botswana, close to Africa's 'Four Corners', where four countries almost meet: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is at the far north-eastern corner of Botswana where it serves as the administrative center of the Chobe D ...
and
Francistown
Francistown is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 and 147,122 inhabitants for its agglomeration at the 2022 census. and often described as the "''Capital of the North''" or as the natives would have it “''T ...
with
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
would be restarted. The aircraft were delivered at the time of Air Botswana facing increased competition from
South African Airways
South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operated a hub-and-spoke network, serving ten destin ...
which had re-entered the Johannesburg-Gaborone market.
In July 2009, Air Botswana signed a
codeshare agreement with
Kenya Airways, which began flights to
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
on 6 September with three flights per week.
The airline left the
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...
because of its inability to meet the December 2008 deadline of the
IATA Operational Safety Audit, but has since been re-admitted as a full member in 2012, under the leadership of the General Manager,
Sakhile Nyoni-Reiling.
In December 2012, Nyoni-Reiling resigned, and press reports in May 2013 indicated internal conflicts and that two directors had been suspended for gross mismanagement pending investigations.
In late 2015, Tshenolo Mabeo the, Minister responsible for Transport, sacked the then General Manager Ben Dahwa together with his entire board of directors, following allegations of corruption. General Tebogo Carter Masire, former Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Commander, was appointed in February 2016 to lead Air Botswana as board chairman, replacing Nigel Dixon-Warren.
In November 2019, the
EastAfrican
''The EastAfrican'' is a weekly newspaper published in Kenya by the Nation Media Group, which also publishes Kenya's national '' Daily Nation''. The ''EastAfrican'' is circulated in Kenya and the other countries of the African Great Lakes
T ...
newspaper reported that Air Botswana was in the process of cutting its staff numbers from 450 to 210 people. The airline has been running at a loss for more than a decade, reportedly due to high maintenance costs for its planes.
The plans also include outsourcing ground handling services to a new company, yet to be formed. It is expected that the majority of the retrenched workers will be hired by the new ground handling outfit.
Corporate affairs
Ownership
![Air Botswana BNB 6382 1981 (Botswana History)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Air_Botswana_BNB_6382_1981_%28Botswana_History%29.jpg)
Despite various initiatives to privatise the airline, in whole or in part, Air Botswana remains 100% owned by the
Government of Botswana
The Government of Botswana often abbreviated as GOB, is the union government created by the constitution of Botswana having the executive, parliament, and the judiciary. The Seat of the Government is located in Gaborone, Botswana. The governmen ...
.
Business trends
Air Botswana has been consistently loss-making for many years. Although the airline is government owned, full annual reports do not appear to be published. Financial results (for years ending 31 March) are published by the Auditor General, and other data in
AFRAA reports, as below:
Destinations
As of June 2019, Air Botswana operated scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations:
Codeshare agreement
Air Botswana has
codeshares with the following airlines:
*
Air Seychelles
Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles. Its head office is located at Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahé and it operates inter-island and international flights and charter flights.
History
E ...
*
Qatar Airways
Fleet
Current fleet
, the Air Botswana fleet consisted of the following aircraft:
References
External links
* https://www.alternativeairlines.com/air-botswana
* https://www.hatab.bw/index.php/members-listings/air-charter-airlines/19-members/air-charter-airline-sector/210-air-botswana.html
abc.com
External links
Official website*
{{IATA members, africa
Airlines of Botswana
1972 establishments in Botswana
Airlines established in 1972
Government-owned airlines
Botswana companies
Companies of Gaborone
Government-owned companies of Botswana