By Garth Calitz Air Botswana, Botswana’s national flag carrier, is facing a growing operational challenge as two of its Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets remain grounded in Namibia, despite earlier expectations that they would return to service by July 2026. Their continued absence has contributed to schedule reductions and the cancellation of routes including Gaborone–Windhoek and Maun–Windhoek. The situation highlights a familiar problem in African regional aviation: owning or

Alaska Airlines has taken delivery of its 100th Boeing 737 MAX, marking an important step in the airline’s ongoing fleet renewal and expansion programme. The milestone comes as the carrier prepares for further growth in both its domestic network and international operations, supported by an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and 787 Dreamliners. The latest delivery took place in Seattle, Washington, where Alaska Airlines employees joined Boeing personnel to mark the a

By Rob Russell I remember writing an article, albeit in November 2018, talking of the consequences of there only being one runway available at Cape Town. Should it become blocked, there would be diversions all over the country. And passengers stranded at Cape Town that could not fly out. Read it here Well, it happened on a grey, misty and overcast day, Tuesday the 4th August 2026 to be precise An international operator due to land mid-morning on a scheduled flight had to dive

Kumba Iron Ore's privately operated Sishen Airport has received the prestigious Gold Aviation Safety Award, recognising its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational safety. The award followed the airport's annual compliance audit conducted by aviation safety specialists Liston and Associates, which assessed the facility against the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The achievement is particularly noteworthy as the audit r

Airbus has taken another major step towards making the world's longest commercial flights a reality, completing an extraordinary development flight campaign with its new A350-1000 Ultra Long Range (ULR) aircraft. The milestone saw the aircraft fly non-stop between Toulouse, France, and Melbourne, Australia, before returning to Europe via an even longer route, providing engineers with invaluable data ahead of the aircraft's entry into service. The aircraft at the centre of the

By Rob Russell Every time you open a travel site or read a travel article, Cape Town is right up there and everyone wants to travel to the Western Cape. Great for business and the economy, but is the Cape well-equipped to handle the increase in air traffic? At present, the Cape only has one airport that can handle international traffic, both scheduled and non-scheduled. Many of these non-scheduled (and private) flights bring some well-known people to the Cape and they are her

One of the world's leading aircraft lessors has reinforced its confidence in the future of single-aisle aviation with a major commitment to Boeing. At the Farnborough International Airshow, SMBC Aviation Capital announced an order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, comprising 60 737-10s and 40 737-8s, marking one of the largest commercial announcements of the event. The agreement is particularly significant as it represents SMBC Aviation Capital's first-ever order for the Boein

By Garth Calitz The reported R1 billion credit facility extended to South African Airways (SAA) by Standard Bank has once again placed the national carrier under the aviation industry's microscope. While the existence of the facility has been widely reported, some important question remains unanswered: Who, if anyone, guaranteed the loan? Neither SAA nor Standard Bank has disclosed the terms of the agreement, citing commercial confidentiality. That is standard practice in the

Air cargo connectivity between China and Africa has received another boost with the restart of Astral Aviation's dedicated freighter service linking Haikou, China, with Johannesburg, South Africa. The renewed operation, launched in partnership with Fly Noor Aviation Services, is expected to strengthen one of the world's fastest-growing trade corridors while supporting the continued expansion of e-commerce and high-value freight between the two regions. The agreement was forma

Air Europa has launched a new scheduled direct service between Madrid and Johannesburg, marking the airline's first route into sub-Saharan Africa and adding another long-haul connection to South Africa's largest international gateway. The inaugural flight arrived at O.R. Tambo International Airport on 25 June 2026 aboard one of the airline's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, where it was welcomed by representatives from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), South African Touris