Air Botswana GM defends fares
Air Botswana General Manager (GM), Agnes Khunwana, this week defended the airline fares saying the national carrier caters to ordinary Batswana.
Answering a question posed by the Chairman of the Committee on Statutory Bodies and State Enterprises, Aubrey Lesaso, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Shoshong, Khunwana said it has always been Air Botswana’s intention to make air travel affordable to the ordinary Motswana.
“We have been regularly reviewing the fares and engaging the market,” Khunwana told the committee, further adding that their prices are very competitive.
However, her response was met with doubt from the committee chair, Dr Nevah Tshabang, who wanted to know when the prices were decreased since there has been uproar about Air Botswana’s steep fares.
In response, the GM said effective November this year, airline fares have been reduced to make local air travel affordable.
“I do believe our fares, as they are, do cater for Batswana because this is something we have challenged ourselves with as an airline, that we would want our fares to be affordable to Batswana and I believe we are on the right track,” she said.
Khunwana said one of the reasons Air Botswana decided to upgrade its fleet from 42-seaters to 70-seaters was to afford the airline the flexibility to reduce the costs of operation.
She also revealed that one of the airline’s aircrafts has been grounded for too long as it needs P10 million to go through a major check that would allow it to fly commercially.
“And it is really the P10 million that we have been struggling with, so we then decided that perhaps we should sell the aircraft as is,” she said.
Khunwana further stated that Air Botswana has been working with agents to sell it. Unfortunately, due to the situation compounded by Covid-19, she said, very little interest has been expressed.
With Air Botswana having been nearly privatised in the past, Khunwana told the committee that privatisation plans are still in the pipeline, but could not state the timeline.
She said Public Enterprises Evaluation and Privatization Agency (PEEPA) is the one leading the exercise and had already engaged a consultant to review the business model for the airline as well as privatisation.
“That phase has since been completed and PEEPA has handed over the report on the business model review to the airline with the recommendations,” said the GM, who went on to note that an internal team has been set up to ensure that the recommendations from PEEPA are implemented.