Air Botswana up for grabs

GABORONE – Botswana’s government has met with five companies that have expressed interest in bidding for the southern African country’s national airline, Air Botswana, the government said yesterday.

The government wants to privatise the airline by October 2006, making it Botswana’s first privatisation, but has not said whether it will sell all or part of the company. Eight companies have expressed interest in Air Botswana and the closing date for offers is August 30 2006.Botswana, which boasts one of Africa’s most stable economies, wants to turn around loss-making Air Botswana and is keen to sell off other state assets to attract investment and diversify its diamond-dependent economy.The five bidders who met the government on Friday include South African airline Comair, which owns budget airline Kulula and operates the British Airways franchise in South Africa, Gerald Thipe, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport, said in a statement.Privately owned Interair South Africa, local freight company Lobair Botswana, African World Airways, and South Africa’s Tourism Empowerment Group also attended.The government declined to comment on why the three other potential bidders – Swiss-based ExecuJet Aviation, Ethiopian Airlines and Airlink, a South African-based regional airline – did not attend the meeting.Botswana, the world’s biggest diamond producer by value, also hopes to sell a stake in the country’s fixed-line phone operator Botswana Telecommunications Corporation to a strategic investor by May 2007.Nampa-ReutersEight companies have expressed interest in Air Botswana and the closing date for offers is August 30 2006.Botswana, which boasts one of Africa’s most stable economies, wants to turn around loss-making Air Botswana and is keen to sell off other state assets to attract investment and diversify its diamond-dependent economy.The five bidders who met the government on Friday include South African airline Comair, which owns budget airline Kulula and operates the British Airways franchise in South Africa, Gerald Thipe, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport, said in a statement.Privately owned Interair South Africa, local freight company Lobair Botswana, African World Airways, and South Africa’s Tourism Empowerment Group also attended.The government declined to comment on why the three other potential bidders – Swiss-based ExecuJet Aviation, Ethiopian Airlines and Airlink, a South African-based regional airline – did not attend the meeting.Botswana, the world’s biggest diamond producer by value, also hopes to sell a stake in the country’s fixed-line phone operator Botswana Telecommunications Corporation to a strategic investor by May 2007.Nampa-Reuters