Mohahlaula Airlines (Maseru) is planning to operate scheduled passenger flights within Lesotho once the country's government lifts a nationwide lockdown which was reimposed earlier this week.
Having secured its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the Lesotho Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) back in February, Mohahlaula Airlines had planned to operate regular flights from its base in Maseru to Mokhotlong (daily), Semonkong, and Qacha’s Nek.
However, given concern about the spread of COVID-19, government locked down the country from March 29 to May 19. A resurgence in cases of the virus then resulted in a renewed lockdown effective July 20 until August 3 (tentatively).
"We at Mohahlaula Airlines will take heed of all recommendations put forth by the Lesotho Department of Civil Aviation, National Emergency Command Centre, Ministry of Health, Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO)," Phafane Nkotsi, Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement. "Based on this we are open for business for domestic and international charter flights, due to their nature of less frequency and smaller cluster of passengers we are open for business and will take on clientele on a case-by-case basis."
Backed by the privately-owned Bohlokoa Group, Mohahluala Airlines currently wet-leases a Cessna (single turboprop) 208B Grand Caravan, ZS-SVP (msn 208B-0573), from Resilience Aviation (Johannesburg Lanseria) alongside a Beech (twin turboprop) King Air 200. Nkotsi told the Sunday Express newspaper in March that the carrier has also leased a hangar at Maseru's Moshoeshoe I International Airport while its ticket sales, reservations and check-in desk are located at the main terminal.
