Eswatini air, which was scheduled to commence operations in 2022, may be ready to launch flights around Southern Africa after acquiring its Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

Formerly known as the Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC), the airline is the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Eswatini, located in South Africa. It is expected to see the new airline commence its operations shortly as authorities stated that it was now just a matter of obtaining operating permits and would soon publish a schedule.

Eswatini Air was scheduled to launch flights in mid-2022, but that was delayed for over a year for various reasons. Last year, the regional Civil Aviation Authority was on the ground to audit the airline's readiness. It received a report giving full details of the observation, which was addressed and eventually closed.

Following the anticipated closure of further observations, the airline announced that its systems were ready to go live as soon as the AOC was issued. The planes to be used are both serviceable and ready to commence operations. Now that the airline has received its operating certificate, all stakeholders are ready to see it grace the Southern African skies for the first time.

The birth of Eswatini's new pride

Nearly two years ago, Airlink, the private South African Airline, and the Kingdom of Eswatini agreed to end a decade-long partnership known as Eswatini Airlink. Without the services of this regional airline, the launch of Eswatini Air was a relief to travelers and everyone in the country's aviation industry.

In its course to launch in 2022, the airline announced AirlinePros, an organization managed by aviation professionals, as its General Sales Agent for South Africa and Zimbabwe. Eswatini Air also partnered with Hitit Computer Services, a Turkish travel technology company that provides commercial and operational IT systems for airlines worldwide. Hitit will be the carrier's software provider when operations begin.

King Mswati III International Airport will serve as Eswatini Air's central hub. This operation would give a much-needed boost to the country's economy as it would increase trade and tourism between the landlocked country and its bigger Southern African counterparts. Eswatini Air's Chief executive officer said in a statement;

"This is our earnest endeavor to make flying accessible to everyone as well as to make our country attractive to foreign investment. In this we are fortunate to have the services of AirlinePros, one of the most reputed organizations in airline representation."

Reasons for the delays and expected launch date

After missing the stated deadline, the flag carrier was scrutinized by anxious stakeholders. With plans to launch in mid-2022 delayed and as a new public enterprise, the Airline has to act fast before the public loses faith in the project.

Eswatini Air stated that all initial projections on the launch date were made, assuming the process of acquiring the Air Operators Certificate would be seamless. As a country that was undergoing AOC application for the first time, the process was not solely driven by Eswatini Air; as such, it had limited control over the timelines.

Embraer ERJ 145
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis / Shutterstock

2023 is the projected year to see the new airline on the runway, and it will publish a schedule soon. Flights are set to commence with two Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft with planned routes to Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, and Harare.