Air Botswana (BP, Gaborone) took delivery of its first E175, acquired from US lessor Regional One, on August 30 in a ceremony at Gaborone, presided over by the southern African country's president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, who declared the aircraft a "symbol of our commitment towards investing in aviation growth".
The 88-seater A2-ABE (msn 17000327) arrived from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya, on August 28, having been ferried there from Maastricht via Luxor on August 24, ADS-B data shows. According to announcements at the launch, the aircraft named "Kalahari" will be used to boost regional connectivity.
During the ceremony, CEO Lulu Ratsebotsa declared: "My mandate from the ministry was to procure four aircraft; the first one is here. Two more are already paid for, and I'm in the market for the fourth." She previously told ch-aviation that the airline was buying two pre-owned E145s from Indonesia. Their delivery dates have not been disclosed, but they are scheduled to start commercial flights in October. The airline currently operates three in-house aircraft - one E170 and two ATR72-600s.
Transport and Public Works Minister Eric Molale revealed that the re-fleeting of Air Botswana was costing BWP600 million pule (USD45.2 million), provided by the country's Treasury. He said the aim is to ready the airline for eventual privatisation. He also announced a new initiative, the Botswana Air Access Project, aimed at promoting the country as a travel destination and supporting aviation industry growth.
Masisi described the E175's launch as "a significant milestone" in the country's aviation industry because it signifies the airline's growth and the government's commitment to economic development by improving the efficiency and reliability of the aviation and transport sectors. He also highlighted Botswana's commitment to developing transport networks and aligning with regional agreements like the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFA) to boost trade and connectivity.
According to ch-aviation research, the new aircraft will be used between Gaborone and Maun and Maun-Johannesburg O.R. Tambo (South Africa), followed by its introduction to Cape Town International (South Africa), and on new routes to Windhoek International (Namibia) and Maputo (Mozambique) on October 4 and November 6, respectively.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows that the 12.67-year-old Embraer jet previously flew with now-defunct flybe. (2002) (Exeter) under the Guernsey registration G-FBJB.
In a statement on August 12, Air Botswana announced it was reinstating the following services on September 1:
- 4x weekly Johannesburg-Maun;
- 3x weekly Johannesburg-Kasane;
- 3x weekly Johannesburg-Francistown.
New routes to be launched on October 1 include:
- 3x weekly Gaborone-Durban King Shaka (South Africa); and
- 3x weekly Gaborone-Windhoek;
From November 1, new services will be as follows:
