Wilderness Air Celebrates 30 Years Of Aviation Excellence

Since 1991, Wilderness Air has maintained a reputation for steadfast operations and excellent guest service. Headquartered in Botswana, the company has grown significantly over the past 30 years, with regional offices in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, meet-and-greet services at all flight bases, and VIP airport lounges in Maun, Kasane, Windhoek and Victoria Falls. The company is dedicated to operating with a light eco-footprint by managing all of its logistics on the ground with an environmentally-conscious approach.

“Initially we only operated simple connections in and out of Wilderness Safaris’ secluded camps, but as we grew, we realised that our flights are an integral part of a guest’s transformative Wilderness journey. Today Wilderness Air not only flies between key regional air bases such as Victoria Falls, Livingstone and Kasane, but our carefully thought-out circuits have enhanced our guest experience in such a way that guests can enjoy a morning activity in the Okavango Delta and be in Hwange for their afternoon activity; or even at one of our partner camps”, noted Alex Henderson, Wilderness Air Group Support.

The company owns more than 26 aircraft, and pre-COVID was seamlessly moving an average of over 80 000 passengers each year between a number of distinct ecosystems. Wilderness Air’s fleet includes the Cessna 206, Cessna 208B Caravan, Cessna C210 N and the Cessna F406, with over 40 dedicated pilots making around 70 daily connections throughout the regions in a regular tourism season.

“We obviously had to be adaptable to the continuous changes and challenges that came our way during COVID-19 and subsequent travel lockdowns, but are optimistic that travel to Africa will return this year, and that we will be able to grow our operations to this scale again into the future”, added Alex.

Not only has Wilderness Air safely and efficiently moved thousands of passengers in the last three decades, it has played a vital role in ensuring the efficient transportation of fresh produce to Wilderness’ camps located in some of the most extreme wilderness areas of Africa. In conjunction with Wilderness’ non-profit partner, Children in the Wilderness, it has also given many children their very first magical experience of being in an aircraft.

“Wilderness Air has always been more than a connection, and Africa from the air offers an incomparable perspective on wild spaces – woodlands, floodplains dotted with elephants, Delta waterways, and so much more. We are proud to have been able to deliver this to our guests, and look forward to contributing to more impactful journeys and playing our part in inspiring positive action for biodiversity conservation”, he concluded.