Mack Air
| |||||||
| Commenced operations | 1994 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet size | See Fleet below | ||||||
| Headquarters | Maun, Botswana | ||||||
| Key people | Stuart and Lara Mackay | ||||||
| Employees | 110 (2021) | ||||||
| Website | mackair | ||||||
Mack Air is a charter airline based in Maun, Botswana. The company has been operating in northern Botswana since 1994.
The company provides aircraft for charter, scenic, medical evacuation, and services a wide range of tourist destinations within Botswana and the Southern Africa region; as well as providing supply flights to camps and lodges within the Okavango Delta and Kalahari regions of Botswana.[1]
The Botswana Travel Guide says of the airline that it "maintains a good reputation as an reliable, high-quality air charter company which doesn't have ties to any of the camps."[2]
History
Mack Air was founded at Maun Airport, Botswana in 1994 by Lara and Stuart Mackay with a single Cessna 206 Stationair.[3]
In 2007 Mack Air employed 15 people and in 2019 reported 50 employees, including 19 pilots. By 2021 it had 110 employees, including 30 pilots.[4][5][6]
In 2017, the company took delivery of ten new Cessna Grand Caravan EXs as part of its fleet expansion.[7]
In 2019, Mack Air became the first private commercial operator in Botswana to be issued an International Scheduled Air Service Licence.[8]
Accidents and incidents
On 6 January 2010 the company's Cessna 208 crashed and was "extensively damaged" upon takeoff from Piajio Airstrip, Chief's Island, Okavango Delta, Botswana when its engine failed. The aircraft landed on a wet flood plain and overturned. The pilot and the five passengers were all injured, including one passenger who suffered a broken hip. The pilot and four of the injured passengers were evacuated to a South African hospital.[9][10]
Destinations
The following is a list of destinations Mack Air flies to as part of its scheduled services, as of February 2022:[11]
Fleet
- Cessna Citation M2[12]
- Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EX[12]
- Cessna 210 Centurion[12]
- GippsAero GA8 Airvan[12]
References
- ^ Mack Air. "Mack Air". Retrieved 2015-09-21.
- ^ Botswana Travel Guide. "Flight companies". Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ Spaeth, Andreas (July 2023). "Botswana's sky-high bush safari". Airliner World (288): 53–61.
- ^ Penton Media (2007). "Operator Details - Mack Air". Retrieved 2009-11-07.
- ^ "About Mac Air". Archived from the original on 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ^ "About | MackAir". www.mackair.co.bw. July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Botswana's Mack Air Takes Delivery of 10 Cessna Caravan EX's". www.avcom.co.za.
- ^ https://www.mackair.co.bw/scheduled/
- ^ Ontebetse, Khonani (January 2010). "Five injured in aircraft crash". Botswana Gazette. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
- ^ Aviation Safety Network (January 2010). "Accident description". Retrieved 14 December 2010.
- ^ "Scheduled Services | MackAir". www.mackair.co.bw. August 13, 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d Mack Air (22 July 2020). "Our Fleet". www.mackair.co.bw. Retrieved 7 February 2022.