Maun, 21 April 2023: The Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) Director of Airport Services, Mr Isaac Mabote has assured delegates at the just ended HATAB Conference that the Authority is committed to advancing the aviation industry in Botswana.
He said CAAB is ensuring the future of air connectivity through adequate, quality and affordable infrastructure. Mr Mabote’s presentation was on “Aviation Access Strategies: Opening up the Skies for Competitiveness”.
He started his presentation with a brief background of Aviation milestones such as the Yamoussoukro Decision, and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) both of which contributed to a more liberal Aviation space in Africa.
He cautioned that although the milestones might have propelled the industry forward, there is still a lot of ground to cover to take the industry to new heights.
When speaking of aviation access strategies, Mr Mabote mentioned the Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights which allows airlines to carry passengers from one country to another, and then from the secondary country to another.
“In addition to exploring more Freedom rights in Africa, the industry could also look towards merging with other airlines in the continent”, he said.
He explained that Africa can also benchmark from Global/Regional Alliances such as SkyTeam, StarAlliances and One World which have proven to be beneficial for both airlines and passengers. He said such partnerships allow airlines to share resources, pick up or extend partner routes and even offer the ability to earn and redeem miles through each other’s reward programs.
He noted with regret that some parts of Africa have challenges that hinder the progress of the highlighted strategies.
“These challenges include travel restrictions brought on by intra-African visas as opposed to single regional passports or the use of identification cards instead of passports for travel in the region”, he said.
Africa’s unstable political climate was highlighted as a major threat to the needed transformations that need to take place.
Mr Mabote concluded his presentation by highlighting that despite challenges in space, CAAB continues to make important advancements in the development of aviation. This is evidenced by the accomplishment of projects such as the certification of Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, the decongestion of the Maun International Airport Terminal Building, and the favorable score of 80.1% during the 2022 ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission.
Ends.