'Gaborone is a potential aviation hub'

Brian Benza
Staff Writer | Wednesday April 28, 2010 00:00

 

Speaking in Gaborone on Monday, Captain Edward Boyo of Aviation and Allied Business Publications said as a landlocked country with such a facility under construction, Botswana could become the centre of southern Africa's air travellers.

'Botswana has a very small population, but that cannot stop it from becoming a regional aviation hub like Addis Ababa,' Boyo said. 'Becoming a hub does not necessarily require large local traffic volumes. You can have as much as 90 percent of your traffic being travellers in-transit. The opportunity lies in the fact that except for South Africa, Botswana's neighbours are still weak and do not have such facilities and infrastructure.' SSKIA, which is being expanded at the cost of P433 million, will accommodate traffic volumes as much as three times more when the expansion is completed. It will be expected to have a Typical Peak Hour Passenger (TPHP) capacity of 976 from around 300 currently. Phase 1 of the expansion is scheduled for completion by June.

Boyo's call comes after the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) made a similar challenge last year when its visiting representative, Tshepo Peege, said Botswana needed to develop its aviation sector up to international standards, especially that Gaborone is the headquarters of SADC.

Boyo was in the country to announce a high-level aviation leadership conference that will be held in Gaborone at the end of August. About 250 delegates - among them several ministers, aviation experts, regulatory authorities and legal and financial institutions - are expected to attend the Aviation and Allied Business Leadership conference.

According to Boyo, the conference, which will be its 16th edition, will provide a platform for the air transport industry in Africa to review the impact of leadership on its growth and development and chart a new direction to deal with common challenges confronting the industry.

The conference will also look at issues of airline management and turnaround strategies, airports enhancement and infrastructure renewal, safety and security as well as emerging policy issues.

Commenting further on the choice of Botswana for this year's conference, Boyo said that the choice was fairly well settled as a result of the country's strong economic performance over the years, its growing air transport market and improving infrastructure.

Botswana's air industry got a boost last year when Kenya Airways introduced a new direct flight to Nairobi while Gaborone also became South African Airways' 20th direct destination into Africa last year by introducing two flights a day to Johannesburg.

Struggling Air Botswana is also said to be on the verge of introducing new direct flights to several destinations in the region, including Zambia and Angola. The Aviation and Allied Business Leadership Conference is held on a rotational basis among African countries and has been held in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and Ethiopia.