Qatar Airways suspending operations casts shadow on NAC’s revenue

The temporary suspension of passenger flights by Qatar Airways is expected to impact the revenue of the Namibian Airports Company (NAC).

Qatar Airways last week announced that it is temporarily pulling out of Namibia due to operational reasons.

In a message to trade partners, the airline did not elaborate on what the operational reasons are but referred enquiries to its passenger guidelines.

“Due to operational reasons, we temporarily suspend passenger services from Namibia with effect from 23 November,” reads the message.

The airline has been operating three weekly non-stop return flights between Hamad International Airport in Doha and Hosea Kutako International Airport on board a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

The airline resumed flights between Doha and Windhoek in June last year.

NAC spokesperson Dan Kamati said the suspension of flights has the potential to dent airport passenger and aircraft movement numbers.

Kamati said this will affect NAC’s revenue and, by extension, other sectors of the local economy as well.

“Qatar Airways is a significant player in the Namibian aviation, business and tourism sectors and will continue to be so. Unfortunately, the airline plans to temporarily suspend flights during their winter season, as per their operational schedule, and we are confident they will resume soon after that, most likely by March 2024,” he said.

The temporary suspension of flights by Qatar Airways during the envisaged period is nothing new and the NAC will monitor the situation, he said.

“NAC’s route development initiatives continue in this regard, and as indicated in our recent media release, we have engaged various airlines from Africa and Europe to service Hosea Kutako International Airport. We will continue to aggressively market Namibia to the world, together with other stakeholders and attract renowned airlines for Namibia’s prosperity,” said Kamati.

Qatar Airways, in cooperation with its partner airline, Airlink, will continue to offer flights between Doha and Windhoek via OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

The departure of Qatar Airways will leave Eurowings Discover and Ethiopian Airways as the only international operators in Namibia.