Air Botswana

Air Botswana is the national airline and flag carrier of Botswana with its headquarters in Gaborone and based on the Gaborone airport.

History

Air Botswana was established in 1972 by decree of then President Seretse Khama and adopted on 1 August of the same year the flight operation with Fokker F -27 and Britten- Norman BN -2 Islander on. It is the successor company also state Botswana National Airways and Botswana Airways.

As of 1988, the fleet has been modernized and Avions de Transport Air Botswana took Régional ATR 42 and British Aerospace BAe 146-100 in the fleet. The total ATR fleet was destroyed in October 1999, after a pilot of the airline crashed with one of these ATRs on committing suicide on the parked aircraft. With leased aircraft flight operations could be maintained - the end of 1999 three ATR 42 were procured again. 2009, two new ATR 72-500 were acquired for 30 million euros.

In December 2008, the airline lost allegedly due to lack of security checks their membership in IATA. By the end of 2010, this could, however, if the security would be increased, be reactivated.

In October 2010, however, a newspaper of Botswana reported that Air Botswana would have withdrawn membership. The airline should be run down to privatize and sell inexpensive.

In the financial year 2008/2009 Air Botswana generated an operating loss of BWP 87 million.

Privatization

In 2004, a privatization of the state enterprise was sought by the government of Botswana. The only offer, the South African Airlink to privatization was rejected by the country's parliament in 2007. Further discussions with, among others, Aer Arann with respect to a management contract, the Air Botswana 2009 also remain inconclusive.

Destinations

Air Botswana operates four domestic destinations and Harare, Lusaka, Cape Town and Johannesburg abroad. (As of September 2012)

Fleet

As of October 2013, the fleet of Air Botswana consists of seven aircraft:

  • 3 ATR 42-500
  • 1 ATR 72-500
  • 1 BAe 146-100
  • 2 BAe ARJ85

Incidents

  • On 11 October 1999, a pilot for the Air Botswana 42 crashed aboard an ATR on the remaining two copies of the same type that were parked on the tarmac at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Previously, he circled about two hours over the airfield and asked, among other things, to be connected with President Festus Mogae, but who was abroad. The pilot, who was alone and without authority aboard the plane died. There were no other victims.
IATA-Code International Civil Aviation Organization airport code Flagcarrier Britten-Norman Maneuvering area
37415
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