25 Sep 2024

Kasane International Airport has been projected to become a competitive air connectivity hub.

Speaking at a media briefing in Kasane on September 24, the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) CEO, Dr Bao Mosinyi, stated that the vision was aligned with Botswana’s Meetings, Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) strategy, which positioned Botswana as a destination for meetings and promote sustainable development in the tourism sector. 

He pointed out that planned upgrades included strengthening of the runway, modernised terminals, upgrading security components, landscaping aesthetics aimed at enhancing competitiveness. 

He said currently, the Kasane Airport faced challenges due ti its  situation due to its geographical positioning,  surrounded by three busy airports in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, Livingstone, Zambia, and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. 

However Dr Mosinyi indicated that CAAB held discussions with airlines to make Kasane a stopover before proceeding to South Africa adding that new airlines were expected to land in Kasane in April 2025. The CEO said the recently launched Botswana Air Access project promoted Botswana’s air access and attracted more airlines to operate within the country’s airspace.

He explained that opening skies for new airlines facilitated easier access for tourists who frequented Chobe, which they also did with the Maun International Airport, as a connectivity hub for world travelers who frequented the Okavango Delta. 

“The Kasane airport is very beautiful and we want to make it even more appealing because it welcomes many tourists across the globe who spend money here and promote economic growth for Botswana,” he said. 

The CEO noted that certification for the Kasane airport was expected to be completed this week as per the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommendation for countries to certify their own airports. 

He explained that the certification exercise examined the compliance and risk measures in place from fire and security and the entire operations of the airport. “Certification gives us confidence that all areas of the airport are compliant to the standards, be it fire service, trained manpower and efficient operations,” he added. 

Dr Mosinyi said certification strengthened international standings for Botswana, which was why CAAB certified the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in 2022 followed by the Maun International Airport in February this year. 

He stated that Botswana has made positive strides in audits by ICAO over the years having scored  percentages of 24  in 2006, 61 in 2016; 80 in 2022 and 85.65 in the last audit in June this year. 

This, he attributed to the CAAB’s corporate strategy of 2024-2029, which aimed at transforming the entity into a high performance civil aviation authority and outclass other global aviation authorities. 

He highlighted that the strategy underscored their commitment to make a total revenue of P500 million by 2029 and increase the aviation rating to 95 per cent.  Ends