Air Botswana's fleet of two aircraft remain grounded in Namibia as the country's flag carrier continues to experience serious operational challenges.

Currently, only three aircraft of Air Botswana's six-plane fleet are operational, resulting in the airliner canceling Gaborone-Windhoek and Maun-Windhoek routes.

Air Botswana had targeted a deadline of July 2026 for the repatriation of the two-fleet aircraft, but the timeline has passed with the national flag carrier still struggling operationally.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Noah Salakae recently told lawmakers in Parliament that Air Botswana has been experiencing irregular operations.

“Two ERJ145s are grounded in Namibia pending engine and APU (air power unit) repairs. Financial constraints are causing long delays to bring these aircraft to an operational state. These fleet challenges have compelled the airline to trim its flight schedule to match available aircraft.”

Over the past five years, Air Botswana has invested an approximated N$428.3 million in fleet renewal as part of its modernization programme.

While this million-dollar investment has strengthened the airline's operational capabilities, the financial benefits have not yet been fully realised due to a combination of operational challenges, including aircraft groundings.