'Gaborone is a potential aviation hub'

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.