New Swazi air carrier set for December take-off

MBABANE – Swaziland
will have its second air
carrier providing service
into and out of the country
when a new airline,
Ligwalagwala Airways,
commences f lights in
December. Named after the
red feather worn by Swazi
royalty, Ligwalagwala will
have one route, departing
from King Mswati III
(KM3) International
Airport for Maputo,
Mozambique. The entirely
Swazi-owned company
will f ly a leased Embraer
145 aircraft with seating
capacity of 50. A round-trip
ticket for the 20-minute
f light is R2500.
The new service will
double the number of air
carriers at KM3 airport,
which since the US$3-
billion facility’s opening in
2014 has been utilised by
only one airline, Swaziland
Airlink. Swaziland Airlink
also f lies one route, to
Johannesburg. In July,
Swazi Airways, which had
set an ambitious agenda to
f ly to multiple destinations,
officially went out of
business without having
accomplished a single
f light. Swazi Airways was
considered a government
boondoggle that had not
properly assessed the
country’s air traffic market.
Business analysts give
Ligwalagwala Airways a
better chance for success
because it is a trimmer,
privately owned operation
launching with a modest
and achievable schedule.
Arguing against the new
air carrier’s chances are the
airline’s primary customers,
business passengers, many
of whom are accustomed
to driving to Maputo. The
trip by car is about three
hours, the same amount of
time required to drive from
Mbabane to KM3 airport,
f ly to Maputo and undergo
customs procedures
and waits at airports of
departure and arrival.
The air carrier is
awaiting certification
by the Swaziland Civil
Aviation Authority
(SWACAA). The small
number of new passengers
utilising KM3 airport once
Ligwalagwala Airlines
operations commence
will add little to reach
the target of 360 000
passengers annually
required for the air facility
to break even. About
70 000 air passengers
make use of KM3 airport
annually, reports SWACAA.