Air Botswana has filed a legal application against a former captain accused of failing to report for his final rostered flight before leaving the airline. His actions are said to have resulted in the cancellation of a Johannesburg service and leaving dozens of passengers stranded.
The state-owned airline is suing Captain Benedict Dumelang Gaborakanelwe for P249,355.39. It claims his actions on June 21 triggered passenger re-bookings, hotel accommodation costs and lost ticket revenue.
Court papers filed in the High Court suggest an employment relationship that had appeared to be ending on good terms before an abrupt fallout on what Air Botswana says was the pilot’s final day of service.
According to the summons, Gaborakanelwe resigned on May 11 and gave one month’s notice. His departure was initially scheduled for June 14. However, the airline says it later requested him to extend his notice period by a week because of crew shortages.
Air Botswana says the pilot agreed to remain until June 21 and continued working under the revised arrangement.
According to the airline, Gaborakanelwe flew four scheduled sectors on June 21, including flights between Gaborone and Johannesburg and between Gaborone and Francistown. The dispute centres on what happened next.
‘On the last day, the Defendant was lawfully rostered to operate the flight route to and from Johannesburg,’ the airline states in its particulars of claim. It alleges that he ‘neglected or refused’ to carry out the assignment despite it being a lawful instruction.
The airline claims it was left with no time to find another captain.
‘As a result of the Defendant’s refusal, the Plaintiff was unable, within the required operational window, to secure replacement crew for flights BOT207 and BOT208,’ the court papers state. ‘The Plaintiff was consequently compelled to cancel and/or re-protect the passengers booked on the said sectors.’
According to the claim, Air Botswana then arranged alternative travel for affected passengers on Airlink and South African Airways while also paying for hotel accommodation where required.
The airline says it suffered losses of P132,805.22 in passenger re-protection and accommodation costs. It claims a further P116,550.17 in lost ticket revenue. The total claim amounts to P249,355.39.
Air Botswana argues that the losses were ‘a direct and foreseeable consequence of the Defendant’s breach’.
The lawsuit also reveals concerns within the airline that Gaborakanelwe may already have moved on to another employer.
In instructions to its attorneys, Air Botswana said it had been informed that ‘Captain Gaborakanelwe is likely employed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and may shortly leave Botswana’. The airline said ‘prompt filing and service are therefore necessary’ to ensure the court papers reach him before he leaves the country.
The airline has been facing challenges in retaining experienced pilots. Gaborakanelwe had not filed a defence by the time of going to press. Air Botswana is asking the court to order the former captain to pay P249,355.39, together with interest and legal costs.