Royal Swazi National Airways Corporation was the
national airline of the
Kingdom of Swaziland. Headquartered in
Mbabane
Mbabane (; ss, ÉMbábáne, ) is a city in Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two capitals (along with Lobamba), serving as the executive capital.
With an estimated population of 94,874 (2010), it is located on the Mbaba ...
with its operational base at
Matsapha Airport near
Manzini, the
airline was founded in 1978. The company still exists, since 2018 under the name Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC), although it does not own an airline, but provides services in the airline sector.
History
In March 1978, the
government of Swaziland announced that it was setting up a
national airline to be known as Royal Swazi National Airways Corporation, and informed privately owned airline
Swazi Air Swazi may refer to:
* Swazi people, a people of southeastern Africa
* Swazi language
* Eswatini
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked cou ...
that it would be required to close down operations by 1 August 1978. In mid-1978 it was announced that Royal Swazi had purchased a 63-seat
Fokker F.28 Mk.3000 from
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...
with which it would begin its services. Fokker-VFW F28 pilots, among other technical assistance. The airline also acquired a low-cycle
Vickers Viscount 839 which had previously been operated by the
Iranian government and the
Sultan of Oman's Air Force
The Royal Air Force of Oman ( ar, سلاح الجو السلطاني عمان, Silāḥ al-Jaww as-Sulṭāniy ‘Umān or RAFO) is the air arm of the Armed Forces of Oman.
History Sultan of Oman's Air Force era
The Sultan of Oman's Air Force ...
.
On 1 August 1978, the airline inaugurated its services with the F28 on a flight from
Manzini to
Johannesburg via
Durban, whilst the airlines' Viscount was on standby at
Matsapha Airport.
Services to
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 ...
,
Mauritius and
Blantyre were expected to be added to the fledgling airline's route network.
The airline made headlines when on 25 November 1981 a group of 44
mercenaries
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
led by
Mike Hoare boarded a scheduled Royal Swazi National Airways flight in
Manzini to
Mahé in the
Seychelles in
an attempt to overthrow Seychellois President France-Albert René. The mercenaries disguised themselves as
Ancient Order of Froth Blowers rugby players and fans, but were exposed as they passed through customs when an alert official discovered a dismantled
AK-47 in one of the mercenaries' luggage. The Royal Swazi National Airways F28 was damaged in the ensuing firefight between Seychellois officials and the mercenaries at
Seychelles International Airport. After the incident, the airline ceased flights to the Seychelles.
By 1993 the airline served a route network that included
Cape Town,
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...
,
Harare,
Gaborone,
Johannesburg,
Maseru,
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 ...
,
Maputo and
Nairobi, of which the Manzini–Johannesburg route was the airlines' busiest.
On 4 July 1993, the scheduled flight between
Maputo and Manzini was hijacked by a Mozambiquean passenger armed with an AK-47. Not long after the aircraft departed Maputo, the hijacker stormed the cockpit with his gun, and demanded to be flown to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. When told that Australia was too far for the aircraft to fly, he insisted on being flown to
Maseru in
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
. With
Maseru Airport being closed, and the aircraft being low on fuel, the crew flew to
Johannesburg. Three hours after arriving in Johannesburg,
South African Police stormed the aircraft. The Captain and one passenger were injured in the crossfire and the hijacker was shot in the head but survived.
["The Citizen" newspaper dated 7 July 1993 Page One "Hijacker out of hospital" Sapa-Reuter and Citizen Reporter] In 1994, the airline leased a
Fokker 100 in a 12 business class and 85 economy class configuration, but it was returned to its lessor in 1996 and onward leased to
Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique, the same airline Royal Swazi leased a
Boeing 737-200 from several years earlier.
Royal Swazi National Airways, which at the time was owned by the Swazi government and
Tibiyo Taka Ngwane, a trust managed by
King Mswati III, ceased operations to Harare, Lusaka, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi on 12 April 1999 and the Swazi government signed an agreement with
SA Airlink
Airlink is an airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Its main business is to provide services between smaller, under-served towns and larger hub airports. It has since expanded to offer flights on larger, mainline routes. The airline has ...
on 25 April for the
South African airline to take a 40% stake in a new venture, with the government holding the remaining 60%, to be known as
Swaziland Airlink
Eswatini Airlink was a regional airline based in Matsapha, Eswatini, and was the flag carrier of that country.
History
Eswatini Airlink was formed as a joint venture company between the Swaziland Government (60%) and Airlink (40%) to take over ...
. Swaziland Airlink began operations in July 1999 with a Fokker F28 leased from the company.
The company still exists, as of 2018 under the name ''Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation'' (RENAC), although it does not own its own airline but provides charter brokerage and ground handling services, as well as operating two travel agencies in Mbabane and Matsapha and acting as an airline ticket broker. Still wholly owned by the government, Royal Swazi National Airways Corporation operates independently under the
Ministry of Public Works and Transport, with a board appointed by the Minister. In August 2009 it was revealed that the government owed the company some
E13.1 million for air travel accumulated by 16 government ministries and departments.
Fleet
This was the fleet through its existence:
See also
*
Swazi Airways
References
External links
Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation official websitePhotos of Royal Swazi Fokker 28 & Fokker 100at Athens Airport
{{Transport in Eswatini
Defunct airlines of Eswatini
Airlines established in 1978
Airlines disestablished in 1999
Government-owned airlines
1978 establishments in Swaziland
1999 disestablishments in Africa