Aviation statistics

a) AIR TRAFFIC STATISTICS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 2016/17

Introduction

A total of six main airports are operational in Botswana in addition to 20 secondary airfields and these airfields are for operation of aircraft to a maximum all up weight (MAUW) OF 5700kg. This report covers all aircraft and passenger movements at these six main airports, the cargo data and over flight movement through the Botswana airspace.

The overall connectivity of Botswana to the African region is mainly driven through the four major airports being; Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Maun International Airport, Kasane International Airport and Francistown International Airport. There is minimal commercial activity at Selebi Phikwe and Ghanzi airport. Scheduled international movements are offered by the five carriers which are Air Botswana, Air Namibia, Ethiopian Airlines, SA Airlink and South African Express. These airlines offer direct connections between Botswana and; Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa and Windhoek

Bilateral agreements

Aviation Statistics

Air Traffic Statistics

1.1 Botswana Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) Per Airport

Most of aircraft landings and departures that occurred in Botswana were registered in Maun, and this airport accounted for 58.7 percent of the total movement. Maun is a tourist destination and as such handles a lot of non-scheduled aircraft movement.

Table 1. Aircraft movement by type of flight 2012/13 to 2016/17

In the financial year 2016-17, aircraft movement increased by 1.7 percent after registering a total of 76 450 from 75 128 ATMs that were recorded over the same period last year. Disaggregating ATMs per type of operation over this period, the international movements accounted for 24.9 percent of the overall 76 450 ATMs. The domestic traffic on the other hand made up 75.1 percent of the total traffic in the year 2016/17.About 89.4 percent of these domestic movements were from non-scheduled type of operations which are mainly concentrated at Maun International Airport. Besides commercial activity, there are private movements which are very minimal and this year they made up 3.7 percent of the total traffic.

Decrease of Passenger Movement through Local Airports

Decrease in Domestic Flight Traffic

Decrease in International Traffic

Decrease of Passengers at SSKIA

1.2 Botswana Passenger Traffic

A lot of multiple routes are served from SSKIA to Johannesburg, Durban, Windhoek and the longest route to Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Passenger traffic is therefore mainly concentrated at this airport and this year it accounted for 53.1 percent, followed by Maun with 30.1 percent.

Passenger traffic grew strongly by 4.6 percent, a rebound from the negative growth of 1.9 that was recorded in the previous year. The main contributor to this increase were from scheduled operations which were almost stagnant in the past two financial years, but this year these scheduled movements increased from 557 025 to 586 127, which is a growth rate of 5 percent.

Decrease of Passenger Movement through Local Airports

Decrease in Domestic Flight Traffic

Decrease in International Traffic

Decrease of Passengers at SSKIA

1.3 Overflight movement 2016/17

A total of 44 440 flights passed through Botswana airspace in the financial year 2016-17, a number that decreased by 0.6 percent from 44 714 that was recorded last year.

1.4 Cargo and Mail Volumes 2016/17

Air Cargo volume, measured in kilograms (kgs) has been on a continual decline over the past 5 years. No mail was recorded in the year under review but we have seen a few kilograms of mail being registered in 2014/15 and 2015/16.These were from Kenya Airways which then later on suspended its services to Botswana in November 2016.