New airline shrouded in controversy

While other domestic airlines struggle with laws and legislation for the rights to fly, a new carrier has launched flights, seemingly overnight. 

Phakalane Airways, in conjunction with the Northern Cape Province, took to the skies on January 22, launching intra-provincial scheduled flights between Kimberley, Upington and Springbok and unscheduled flights between De Aar, Calvinia, Kuruman and Sishen.

Questions have arisen about the financial involvement of the Northern Cape provincial government in the new airline. The DA has called for an urgent investigation into the deal brokered between the provincial government and the local aviation company, on which there doesn’t seem to be much information. Captain Allan Roebuck is CEO and pilot of Phakalane Airways. Roebuck is the CEO of the Afrika Union Aviation Academy, an aviation school, where he is an instructor. Despite numerous attempts for an interview, Allan did not respond to questions by Tourism Update.

Andrew Louw, DA leader in the Northern Cape, believes Phakalane Airways will be a new state-sponsored airline that will operate only in the Northern Cape at a cost of millions to the provincial government. He said in a statement: “It would appear that the primary purpose of this airline is to ferry government and business VIPs between Upington, Springbok and Kimberley. Millions are being wasted… while the people of the Northern Cape continue to struggle with unemployment and poor service delivery. The creation of this airline is an absurd waste of money.”

At the launch of the new airline in Kimberley last week, Northern Cape Premier, Sylvia Lucas, said the launch of the intra-provincial flight service followed a comprehensive feasibility study into the travel requirements within the province. “Based on the feasibility study, the travel patterns indicated that it was possible to introduce an economically viable and safe air transport service linking the major towns in the province.” Phakalane Airways was appointed after it emerged as the successful bidder of a tender issued by the provincial government last year, it says on the airline’s website.

Bookings can reportedly be made on the website www.phakalaneairways.co.za by sending a ‘flight booking request’ with the customer’s details. When we submitted a booking request it took the airline a day and a half to respond. The Department of Transport declined to comment on whether Phakalane Airways has a licence to operate scheduled services.