/ 13 October 1999

AIR BOTSWANA TO RESUME FLIGHTS

AIR Botswana will resumeitsinternational passenger services on Tuesday with leased aircraft after a suicide pilotdestroyedthree of its fleet of four planes on Monday, an airline spokesman said. The pilot stole an ATR42 passenger plane from Air Botswana’s hangers at the Sir Seretse Khama Airportnear the capital of Gaborone and deliberately dive-bombed it into two other passenger planes. Air Botswana commercial manager, John Williams said on Monday afternoon that he had leased replacementHS748 aircraft to resume the airliner’s services onTuesday. Williams confirmed thatthe carrier’score route between Botswana-Johannesburg-Botswana would be handled by SA Air Express in the short term until Air Botswana was able to replace the damaged aircraft.