Air Botswana Confirms $64M State Aid Since 2019, Minister Says
Botswana’s government has injected more than BWP900 million (USD64 million) into Air Botswana (BP, Gaborone) since the 2019/20 financial year, according to parliamentary disclosures. Despite the airline not appearing in the recurrent budget, the national carrier has repeatedly relied on state support to sustain operations.
Communications and Innovation Minister David Tshere, speaking on behalf of the transport minister on August 15, said the assistance has come through development funding and targeted interventions in line with the Air Botswana Act. He outlined that funding covered refleeting, debt, maintenance, and salaries over the past six years.
Initial allocations included BWP17 million (USD1.2 million) in 2019/20 for new aircraft purchases, followed by pandemic relief funds of BWP116 million (USD8.2 million) in 2020/21 and BWP76.2 million (USD5.4 million) in 2021/22. Further injections included BWP58 million (USD4.1 million) in 2022/23 for debt repayment and BWP33 million (USD2.3 million) for aircraft maintenance.
In 2023/24, allocations rose significantly, with more than BWP322 million (USD23 million) spent on maintenance, engine work, and refleeting. For 2024/25, nearly BWP254 million (USD18.1 million) was provided, including BWP195.53 million (USD13.9 million) for new aircraft.
The airline also received BWP10 million (USD712,000) for salaries in March 2025 and BWP13.31 million (USD948,000) for further refleeting in 2025/26. Recent fleet changes included three pre-owned jets: one E175 and two E145s.
Tshere admitted Air Botswana remains financially strained, with reduced travel demand from government, parastatals, and the private sector deepening losses despite continuous state aid.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com