Air Botswana invests in bigger aircraft

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Wednesday August 22, 2012 00:00

 

The AVRO RJ 85 aircraft is equipped with a bigger engine, but is of the same series as the current BAe 146 in their existing fleet. It has a carrying capacity of 93 passengers.

Speaking to Mmegi yesterday, Leshoai declared that after the acquisition of the AVRO, Air Botswana will now have a total of seven aircraft. He added that currently, five are operational, one is undergoing scheduled maintenance and the other one is grounded due to a technical fault. Mmegi investigations on the purchase revealed that British Aerospace Avro RJ85, Registration number A2-ABG, which arrived last weekend, is 15 years old. Asked if it makes business sense to buy the 15-year-old aircraft, the airline spokesman said 'Before purchase, an extensive and exhaustive exercise was undertaken to identify the best maintained aircraft. In the aviation industry, a 15 year aircraft is considered relatively new and it is common practice for airlines to purchase such aircraft,' he said.