Bad weather forces six aircraft to land in Gaborone

Six aircraft belonging to different airlines had to be diverted to Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) on Monday evening due to bad weather at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.  The planes, which were of various sizes, had to refuel at SSKIA while they awaited the improvement of the weather in Johannesburg 276 kilometres away by air but 400 kilometres away by road.

Said Modipe Nkwe, the Public Affairs Manager at Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana: "The flights were diverted to SSKIA due to bad weather in Johannesburg. This is a normal operational procedure in cases where flights cannot land at their planned destinations for whatever reason.