Botswana’s government has injected more than BWP900 million pula (almost USD64 million) into Air Botswana (BP, Gaborone) since the 2019/20 financial year, despite the airline not being included in the state’s recurrent budget, the nation's parliament has heard.

Answering questions in parliament on August 15 on behalf of the transport minister, Communications and Innovation Minister David Tshere said Air Botswana is legally mandated to operate on a commercially sustainable basis under the Air Botswana Act. Still, the government has provided repeated financial assistance through development funding and targeted interventions to keep the national carrier flying, reports Botswana's Daily News newspaper.

Tshere outlined that in 2019/20, the airline received BWP17 million (USD1.2 million) for a refleeting programme after acquiring one E170 and two ATR72-600s in 2018. During the pandemic, it was granted relief funding of BWP116 million (USD8.2 million) in 2020/21 and a further BWP76.2 million (USD5.4 million) in 2021/22. In 2022/23, BWP58 million (USD4.1 million) was released to cover accumulated debt and BWP33 million (USD2.3 million) for aircraft maintenance.

Support increased in 2023/24, when Air Botswana was allocated BWP86.3 million (USD6.13 million) for major maintenance, BWP86.6 million (USD6.18 million) to cover operational shortfalls and engine work, and BWP149.95 million (USD10.6 million) for refleeting.

For 2024/25, government funding reached nearly BWP254 million (USD18.1 million), including BWP195.53 million (USD13.9 million) for refleeting, BWP37.17 million (USD2.6 million) for engine overhaul and BWP20.41 million (USD1.4 million) to cover salaries until early 2025.

Tshere said BWP10 million (USD712,586) was provided in March 2025 for staff salaries and a further BWP13.31 million (USD948,452) for refleeting in 2025/26.

This comes after the airline in March 2025 insisted that no money was allocated to Air Botswana in the proposed budget estimates for the 2025/26 fiscal year. The airline's Director of Finance and Administration, Obonye Marage, at the time told ch-aviation that, "Air Botswana's re-fleeting was budgeted in the 2023/24 financial year, even though procurement was done during the 2024/25 financial year. There is no budget for Air Botswana in the proposed [2025/26] budget estimates."

Responding to a request for clarification, an Air Botswana spokeswoman said the airline could not comment on the financial figures. "However, once our audited financials are available, we will be in a position to share accurate information," she said.

Tshere confirmed the airline had acquired three pre-owned jets in 2024 – a 14-year-old E175 costing USD9.5 million and two E145s, aged 15 and 16 years, at USD4.65 million and USD4.35 million, respectively.

The E175 was finally inducted into service in May 2025 after it spent more than eight months parked at Gaborone due to regulatory delays, amid media scrutiny over allegations that the government had purchased an un-airworthy aircraft. Meanwhile, the two E145s have been placed temporarily with Namibian charter/ACMI specialist Westair Aviation (WAA, Windhoek Eros), which currently operates the aircraft on an ACMI basis for Air Botswana.

According to ch-aviation data, Air Botswana’s fleet numbers seven aircraft, including the two ATR72-600s, two E145s, one E170, and one E175, plus one ATR42-500 it is trying to sell.

Tshere said all are operational except the E170, which remains grounded pending a mandatory 15,000-flight-hour maintenance check requiring BWP57.2 million (USD4 million), which the airline cannot afford.

Despite the state injections, Tshere acknowledged Air Botswana continues to face severe financial strain, worsened by a sluggish economy and sharp declines in passenger traffic. He cited austerity-driven cutbacks in government, parastatal and private sector travel as major contributors to falling revenues.

The minister was responding to a question from Chobe MP Simasiku Mapulanga, who sought clarity on Air Botswana’s funding, fleet acquisitions, and operational challenges since 2019.