UPDATE – Eswatini flag carrier Eswatini Air is looking to take to the skies towards the end of March. This follows the securing of a Foreign Operator Permit for Zimbabwe and the anticipated issuance of similar authorization by South Africa. Eswatini Air poised for take-off in March.
The airline’s CEO, Captain Qiniso Dhlamini, says in a statement to AirInsight: “We will be operating a fleet of two 50-seater, Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft, offering direct non-stop flights from King Mswati 111 International Airport to Johannesburg, Durban, Harare, and Cape Town. Our inaugural flight is scheduled for 26 March 2023 to Johannesburg, after which we shall launch in phases until we cover all four initial destinations. Meanwhile, we will be doing continuous assessments on potential routes.”
Last week, the carrier’s Manager for Marketing and Communication Ms. Batsabile Nkambule, quoted Dhlamini as saying: “We have made tremendous progress in securing the necessary documentation to operate to the different destinations we will be flying to. So far, we have received our Foreign Operator Permit (FOP) for Zimbabwe and the FOP for South Africa is in the process. We expect to have everything regarding that smoothed out very soon. Another Foreign Operator Permit for South Africa is in the process and we expect to have everything regarding that smoothed out very soon.”
The Manzini (Swaziland)-based airline, which received its Air Operator Certificate last December, added that it had made and tremendous progress in securing the necessary documentation to operate to the destinations they will be flying to. Among recent steps has been the assignment of the RN two-letter airline codes by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the accounting prefix 507. The International Civil Aviation Organisation has also allocated the airline the three-letter ICAO designator SZL and associated call-sign Eswatini.
Preliminary schedule
Eswatini Air has been keen to serve Harare, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. Nkambule said earlier that the carrier has applied for landing and departure slots at those destinations and systems would be configured and a schedule published as soon as these were to be secured. “As soon as these outstanding matters are cleared, our systems will be updated and we will publish our schedules and pricing to allow us to commence trading and flying passengers to the different destinations.”
Although she did not commit to a specific date for the commencement of services, because “the turnaround time for the outstanding process is dependent on various factors beyond our control,” the statement said that they were looking at “taking to the skies at the beginning of the next IATA season, which is 26 March 2023.” This has been confirmed by CEO Dhlamini later today.
Eswatini Air’s current fleet consists of a pair of Embraer ERJ-145s. The launch will be spread across three phases, starting with one destination followed by two others after one month, and a fourth destination in the final phase. “The exact dates for each phase and sequence of destinations will be announced as soon as the outstanding processes have been finalized. In the meantime, we have embarked on the recruitment of required personnel and training is underway for them to be ready by the launch date,” the statement says.
