CAAB grounds Air Botswana aircraft

Air Botswana ERJ170 Aircraft, registration A2- ABM has been grounded for Airworthiness failure.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana ( CAAB), the body charged with the Regulation and Service Provision of Aviation in Botswana, revealed on Wednesday this week that it has grounded the Air Botswana ERJ170 Aircraft, registration A2- ABM by suspending its Certificate of Airworthiness for Safety reasons.

CAAB Public Relations and Communications Officer Modipe Nkwe stated in a media release that the suspension of the Certificate of Worthiness will remain in place until the Operator, Air Botswana, has satisfactorily carried out all inspections and tasks recommended by the aircraft manufacturer and the regulator, and the aircraft is deemed fit for release to service. He said the grounding was necessitated by the regulator’s concerns over a series of recurring problems surrounding the aircraft.

According to Nkwe the CAAB will lift the suspension after the airline has provided evidence that all the aircraft manufacturer’s recommendations have been satisfactorily accomplished. CAAB took the decision to ground the aircraft to protect the safety of passengers, crew and those on the ground, he added.

CAAB) is responsible for the regulation and development of air transport, providing air navigation services, managing airports and advising Government on all aspects of civil aviation.

It is a Statutory Corporation established by the Civil Aviation Act of 2004 and commenced full operations as an autonomous regulator on 1st April 2009. The continued existence of CAAB was provided for by the Civil Aviation Act, 2011 which repealed the previous Act establishing the Authority. Before its establishment, most of its functions were performed by the former Department of Civil Aviation ( DCA).

CAAB under its airport’s management portfolio, is responsible for the

operational oversight of Sir Seretse Khama, Kasane, PG Matante and Maun International Airports as well as the Selibe- Phikwe and Ghanzi Airport. The Authority is also responsible for strategic airfields dotted across the country, which are essential in cases of emergency rescues and are useful for the tourism sector.