…thank you Mohahlaula
The news of the planned commercial route from Maseru to Johannesburg by Mohahlaula airlines is by far the best positive news to consume.
With a clear vision, the company made an announcement last year of its plan to start commercial routes this year in September, and as promised they are doing it.
Run by a Mosotho, this airline is a sigh of relief and a smile of pride to Basotho following the collapse of the ever-celebrated Maluti sky.
While Maluti sky’s life was short-lived because of its dependency on government business, Mohahlaula has been showing signs of tenacity.
According to their statement this week, for the past two years, the company has been operating private charter and cargo flights in and out of Maseru and is now expanding to offering “low-cost services that would be driven by quality, reliability and safety.â€
The company’s CEO Phafoli Nkotsi said an airline connecting Lesotho and Johannesburg was desperately needed as the country continues to grow economically, while tourism activities are picking up momentum after the coronavirus pandemic, a very factual.
Mohahlaula is bringing a service that will indeed bridge the gap between the elite passengers that afforded the over M2500 charge flying to Johannesburg.
While Maluti Sky tried but shortly failed, it is only fair to wish Mohahlaula goodluck and swiftly advise it to have sustainable business models and not seek to rely on the government.
When looking at Lesotho’s aviation success history, it is a wish that Mohahlaula outlives its predecessors.
First, it was the ever-successful Lesotho Airways, also formerly known as Air Lesotho during Morena Leabuoa’s leadership.
Air Lesotho, was the national airline of Lesotho based on the grounds of Mejametalan Airport in Maseru. The airline was wholly owned by the government of Lesotho. It operated both international and domestic passenger services to 16 destinations across 4 countries, until 1997, and its main base was the Moshoeshoe International Airport.
It was on October 1, 1996, when it suspended its international flights due to the inability to satisfy the minimum requirements specified by the Department of Civil Aviation.
In 1997, Rossair Contracts Private Ltd acquired the assets of Lesotho Airways as it was financially insolvent.
If it wasn’t for lack of compliance with the minimum requirements specified by the Department of Civil Aviation, perhaps Lesotho Airways could still be in existence, or maybe not when looking at the mismanagement of Lesotho assets.
With Mohahlaula having passed the requirement of the DCA, it is indeed hope for the company to remain faithful to honouring rules and remaining professional in its journey.
Their plans fall far from the line of making commercially driven profits, they go further in seeing a need for Aviation Training Organisation for those interested in learning more about the sector, what a selfless gesture.
This they are doing amid an airport tender feud between independent companies and the government, and at the centre of it are kickbacks and corruption allegations. Mohahlaula needs to be applauded for its ability to look at the bigger picture, hope for the best and push the golden egg
Hopefully, the “corruption†embroiled will not see Lesotho losing its 2 percent remaining dignity by being stripped of the right to have an international airport, a lot is at stake now and children of this land are making moves to position the country with its peers.
Again, cheers to Mohahlaula and thanks for making Basotho proud.
