CemAir (5Z, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has announced it has had to delay the start of scheduled international flights after failing to secure the go-ahead from authorities in Botswana.

The South African carrier had planned to start a 3x weekly Cape Town-Gaborone service on August 2 using CRJ-100 equipment. However, it said in a statement issued just prior to the proposed launch that despite its efforts, it had not received any communication from the Botswana Ministry of Transport.

As such, CemAir said it has since engaged the South African Department of Transport in the hopes of securing the necessary reciprocal rights to launch the service on August 12.

CemAir had previously operated the route for and on behalf of Air Botswana (BP, Gaborone). However, the state-owned carrier suspended the contract in February after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) grounded CemAir’s fleet citing regulatory compliance concerns.