Air Botswana will start flying directly to Maputo from Gaborone at the end of 2019, Jose Pacheco, Mozambique’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, announced on Wednesday, October 31.

"The agreement we signed today (Wednesday) will materialise that Mozambicans willing to travel to Botswana, and Batswana willing to travel to Maputo, will no longer use connecting flights to do so. They will fly straight from Gaborone to Maputo, and vice versa," said Pacheco.

Air Botswana is acquiring new fleet as it gears up to connect Gaborone with Maputo. The airline announced earlier this year that it is acquiring new aircraft which is expected to arrive in the country this month.

Botswana’s President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi held discussions with Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi, which saw the agreement being signed. Masisi is currently on a three-day visit to Mozambique, ending on November 2.

The visit was aimed at strengthening the relations that exist between the two countries, where Masisi and his entourage deliberated on bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest, with the view to broaden the scope of cooperation. The two countries currently cooperate in many areas including culture, transport, environment, and wildlife and tourism.