18 Mar 2020

Civil Aviation Authority Botswana (CAAB) has confirmed that there are no direct flights to the Okavango Delta.

CAAB’s public affairs manager, Mr Modipe Nkwe explained in an interview that the only port of entry to the delta was Maun International Airport. He said visitors had to land at the airport first before proceeding to the delta.

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.

The institutions mission is to effectively and efficiently regulate and promote a safe, secure and sustainable aviation industry in line with international standards and norms.

The interview followed reports that while government was making efforts to control COVID-19, some visitors might exacerbate the spread of the virus as there were some flights going straight to the delta.

Safari companies also attested that there were no direct flights to the delta. They said there was no how flights could go straight to the Okavango Delta as their guests had to go through ports of entry for immigration and custom clearance services. All the flights, they said, land in Maun which was the gateway to the delta.

One of the Safari officials, who preferred unanimity, refuted the allegations, saying the skies were monitored and there was no how flights could go straight to the delta.

He noted that the outbreak had caused chaos due to the cancellation of trips to the delta following South Africa’s imposition of a travel ban on foreign nationals from high risk countries as from yesterday.

South Africa has canceled visas to visitors from such countries and previously granted visas were revoked. 

The decision has left the local tourism industry in limbo as most of their clients were from the European Union and United States of America. 

International agents and safari companies, he said, had contacted those who had already arrived in Botswana to cut their stay and travel back to their countries. 

He noted that some were reluctant to cut their stay as they had already paid in advance.

He said there was nothing they could, adding that it was unfortunate as there were no flights into Botswana flying straight to Europe. Ends