Air Botswana back in turmoil

Air Botswana is undergoing another bout of turmoil following the departure of both its general manager (GM), Ben Dahwa, and the entire board late last year.

Local media reports said that Dahwa (pictured right) – who had been in post for less than two years – and the board were dismissed by the Botswanan government following dissatisfaction with the speed of progress at turning around the national carrier. There were also reports that Dahwa had fallen foul of powerful local businessmen acting as agents for an overseas aircraft supplier, who wanted Air Botswana to purchase aircraft from their client.
However, the country’s ministry of transport and communications denied to African Aerospace that it had dismissed any of the departed personnel, describing the GM’s departure as “a mutual separation”. The priority now, it said, was to improve the airline’s organisational abilities and ensure it delivered an efficient service to its customers.
Air Botswana has seen a succession of GMs in recent years. The carrier is being run on an interim basis by acting GM Agnes Khunwana. Decisions previously requiring board approval are being approved by the ministry’s permanent secretary, its most senior civil servant.
The ministry is searching for a new GM, with preference being given to Botswanans, but there is no deadline for an incoming head of the carrier to be appointed.
Prior to the board’s dissolution, it had approved a business plan for the 2015-20 period. Talking to African Aerospace in early 2015, Dahwa said that this included plans to replace the airline’s increasingly elderly fleet.
This included two aircraft that had actually been retired, but whose absence had not been reflected in the airline’s timetable, resulting in poor punctuality as the overstretched remaining aircraft tried to maintain services.
Currently consisting of three ATR 42-500 and a single ATR 72-500 turboprop, plus two Avro RJ85s, replacements are needed in the next few years.
According to the ministry statement, “In order to operate efficiently in this competitive environment, where the government is liberalising its airspace, government is considering re-fleeting the national carrier to enable it to be competitive.”
It did not give any indication of when new aircraft might be acquired, or what types would be considered. Dahwa had favoured continuing to operate a mix of turboprops and jets, probably with a maximum 100 seats.
If the government adheres to that plan, it would indicate the purchase of more ATRs or Bombardier Q400s for the turboprop element, plus Embraer E-Jets, Bombardier CRJs or CSeries, or perhaps Sukhoi Superjets.

Pictured below: Replacements are urgently needed for Air Botswana’s existing equipment, including these Avro RJ85s.