New airline eyes Cape Town-Gaborone-London route

BOTSWANA-registered Kalahari
Airways is looking to launch a
route between Gaborone and
Gatwick as well as GaboroneCape
Town from November 1.
Ceo, Denis Coghlan, told
TNW the airline would start
the licence application with
the Civil Aviation Authority of
Botswana (CAAB) shortly. ‘’The
routes are freely available to
any Botswanan airline that
qualifies,” he said. “It is a very
expensive exercise. However,
all that is required is that we
comply with the Civil Aviation
Act. Once we are compliant,
the CAAB will issue our
Aircraft Operating Certificate
and the requisite Air Service
Licences for the GaboroneCape
Town route and the
Gaborone-London route.”
Denis said the airline would
operate from Cape Town
to London and stop for 30
minutes at Gaborone each
way to allow pick-up and
disembarking of passengers.
Denis first started
discussing his plans for the
route in 2013. At the time,
he told TNW he had started
contemplating the launch of
flights after British Airways
ceased operations on the
Gaborone-London route.
Flights were expected to
launch in early 2014, but
didn’t take off.
However, he is confident
flights will launch in November
this year. “There are no CAAB
licensing issues to prevent
a successful start-up on
November, 1. “The director,
Air Services Licensing, has
indicated that he will approve
our licence without delay
once we are in compliance.”
The airline plans to use two
leased Boeing B747-400
aircraft.
The Kalahari Airways flight
will leave Cape Town at 09h15
and arrive in Gaborone at
11h00. It will then depart
from Gaborone at 11h30 and
arrive in Gatwick at 19h30.
The return flight will depart
Gatwick at 21h45 and arrive
in Gaborone at 09h45 next
day. It will depart Gaborone
at 10h15 and arrive in Cape
Town at 12h00.
Frequencies are planned for
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Kalahari Airways is currently
not offering any flight service
as it is not yet licensed.