Mack Air is an

Air Charter Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flights ...

airline based in

Maun, Botswana Maun is the fifth-largest town in Botswana. As of 2011, it had a population of 55,784. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district. Francistown and Maun are linked by the A3 highway. It is also th ...

. The company has been operating in northern Botswana since 1994. The company provides aircraft for

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

, scenic,

medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

, and services a wide range of tourist destinations within Botswana and the Southern Africa region; as well as providing supply flights to camps and lodges within the

Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the en ...

and

Kalahari The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for , covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coasta ...

regions of Botswana. The ''Botswana Travel Guide'' says of the airline that it "maintains a good reputation as an reliable, high-quality air charter company which doesn't have ties to any of the camps."

History

In 2007 Mack Air employed 15 people and in 2019 reported 50 employees, including 19 pilots. By 2021 it had 110 employees, including 30 pilots. In 2017, the company took delivery of ten new

Cessna Grand Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargomas ...

EXs as part of its fleet expansion. In 2019, Mack Air became the first private commercial operator in Botswana to be issued an International Scheduled Air Service Licence. It started scheduled service from Botswana to Namibia in April 2020.

Accidents and incidents

On 6 January 2010 the company's

Cessna 208 The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargo ...

crashed and was "extensively damaged" upon takeoff from Piajio Airstrip, Chief's Island,

, Botswana when its engine failed. The aircraft landed on a wet flood plain and overturned. The pilot and the five passengers were all injured, including one passenger who suffered a broken hip. The pilot and four of the injured passengers were evacuated to a South African hospital.

Destinations

Following is a list of destinations Mack Air flies to as part of its scheduled services, :

Fleet

* Cessna Citation M2 * Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EX * Cessna 210 Centurion * GippsAero GA8 Airvan

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.mackair.co.bw Airlines of Botswana Tourism in Botswana Botswana companies