The government of the Kingdom of Eswatini and Airlink have decided to dissolve their joint-venture airline firm, Eswatini Airlink, which will stop operations on June 1 as a result of their agreement. In the next months, both Airlink and Eswatini Air, the Kingdom’s new national airline, will operate frequent flights between Johannesburg and King Mswati III International Airport in the Kingdom.
Eswatini Airlink operates numerous flights each day between Johannesburg and the King Mswati III International Airport in Sikhuphe, which is located in the Sikhuphe district of the country.
“Via the company we own and manage together, Eswatini Airlink, we have had a long and mutually successful cooperation linking Eswatini to the rest of the world through OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa,” says Rodger Foster, CEO and MD of Airlink.
We have, however, reached a mutually beneficial agreement to phase out the operations of Eswatini Airlink in an orderly manner in order to avoid any disruption or inconvenience to our customers, in light of the recent re-establishment of a national airline by the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini.
In 1999, Eswatini Airlink was founded to offer air transportation services for the Kingdom of Swaziland when Royal Swazi National Airways ceased operations. This was made possible as a result of an agreement reached between the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini and Airlink Southern Africa.
In addition, Foster says, “Airlink will smoothly continue to provide the service, and, most crucially, we are promising to re-employ every Eswatini Airlink employee with Airlink, so safeguarding their employment.”
Healthy, competitive air transportation services in this market will aid in the promotion and development of commerce, tourism, and other economic prospects in the region.
“Eswatini Airlink has been providing critical aviation services to the Kingdom of Eswatini for the last 23 years, allowing us to better connect our economy with that of the rest of Southern Africa and the rest of the world. In the meantime, we have decided to seize the opportunity presented by the COVID-19 restart and recovery to launch a new, wholly Eswatini-owned carrier and usher in a new era of competition, as detailed below “Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe, Minister of Public Works and Transport in the Republic of Eswatini, says