Botswana Air Access Initiative Drives 56% Surge in International Seat Capacity
Botswana's Air Access initiative, launched by the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana in August 2024, is delivering measurable results, with the country's international seat capacity projected to grow from approximately 390,000 seats in 2023 to more than 607,000 by 2026 - a 56% increase. Speaking at the AviaDev Africa 2026 conference in Gaborone, Assistant Minister of Transport and Communications Keoagike Atamelang highlighted the programme's role in securing new routes through market intelligence, stakeholder coordination and targeted route marketing support.
New services secured since the initiative's launch include Airlink's Cape Town - Gaborone route (April 2025), South African Airways' Gaborone - Johannesburg service (November 2025), Ethiopian Airlines' Maun - Addis Ababa connection, and Proflight Zambia's Lusaka - Livingstone - Maun service, introduced on 1 May 2026. The latter is particularly significant for regional tourism, enabling travellers to combine Botswana and Zambia within a single itinerary. The initiative, a collaborative public-private effort involving the Botswana Tourism Organisation, Air Botswana, and several industry associations, continues to engage airlines from Africa, Europe, North America and Asia to further expand the country's global connectivity.
Source: Mmegi Online
