Botswana: Aircraft Movements and Passenger Numbers Decline in Q1 2025

Botswana Statistics has released its Transport and Infrastructure Statistics Brief for the first quarter of 2025, detailing updated figures for motor vehicle registrations, rail, and air transport activity.

Aircraft Movements: Down by Over 22 Percent

Aircraft movements dropped by 22.4 percent, falling from 17,706 in Q4 2024 to 13,745 in Q1 2025. Domestic aircraft movements accounted for 76.8 percent of this total, while international operations represented 23.2 percent.

Both categories saw declines:

1. Domestic movements decreased by 24.8 percent
2. International movements dropped by 13.2 percent

In terms of operation type:

1. Non-scheduled flights made up 69.2 percent of all movements, with 92.8 percent of these being domestic
2. Scheduled flights accounted for 24.6 percent, with 71.7 percent of them being international

Within the domestic category, the majority (83.6 percent) were non-scheduled flights. For international movements, 76.0 percent were scheduled.

Airport-specific data shows that:

1. Maun Airport recorded the most activity, with 66.1 percent of all aircraft movements
2. Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) followed with 19.5 percent
3. Kasane Airport accounted for 12.5 percent, with the remaining movements shared among Phillip Matante Airport (1.7 percent) and both Selibe Phikwe and Ghanzi (0.1 percent each)

Air Passenger Movements: Nearly 20 Percent Decline

A total of 168,933 air passenger movements were recorded in Q1 2025, marking a 19.9 percent decline from the previous quarter.

1. International passenger movements made up 61.8 percent of the total, falling by 17.5 percent
2. Domestic passenger movements represented 38.2 percent, down by 23.4 percent

The majority of these passengers (78.9 percent) travelled on scheduled flights, followed by non-scheduled flights (19.3 percent). Private and scenic movements each contributed 0.9 percent to the total.

Airport breakdowns revealed:

1. SSKIA handled the largest share of scheduled passenger movements (66.2 percent)
2. Maun Airport was the main hub for non-scheduled flights (76.6 percent)
3. Scenic movements were overwhelmingly concentrated at Maun Airport, accounting for 93.7 percent of such traffic

For further statistical tables, refer to the Botswana Statistics Q1 2025 Brief here: