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Well now. That didn’t last long.
We were quite excited back in 2024 when Air Botswana announced the launch of direct flights from Cape Town to Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta and within easy reach of the Makgadikgadi Pans. If you were planning a luxe safari or perhaps an overland adventure, Maun was the place to be. And any competition with Airlink, which dominates these sorts of regional routes, could only be good news for fares.
But, 18 months on, it seems that the beleaguered national carrier of our northern neighbour just couldn’t make it work.
The airline has quietly gone and canned its direct flights from the Mother City to Maun, citing the need to “optimise our route network, safeguard schedule integrity, and ensure that our customers continue to benefit from reliable and efficient services.”
But Cape Town shouldn’t take it too personally. This time, seriously, it’s not us, it’s them. Along with Cape Town, Air Botswana also recently cancelled its direct services from the capital Gaborone to Durban and Windhoek.
If you’re planning a trip to the Delta this winter – remember that May to August is peak season – you can still get there on Airlink’s daily non-stop flights from Cape Town to Maun. It’ll take about 2h30m and set you back around R10 000 return.
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