The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) says the government should explore establishing a new national airline backed by a consortium of private investors.
NAC Chief Executive Officer Bisey /Uirab said the airline would be backed by a consortium of private investors with a diversified ownership structure, allowing Namibia to achieve its logistical goals.
He said the potential venture is more viable amidst calls from the public for enhanced connectivity and efficiency in the sector.
The potential venture reflects the country’s commitment to bolstering its transport infrastructure to support economic growth, regional integration and logistical hub ambitions.
“My view is that Air Namibia was a fully state-owned entity, we may have to consider as a nation, a different composition of the shareholding of this new national airline. What are we supposed to do? I’m not able to say at this point. My guess would be that might be a situation where you have a combination of shareholding to put up that facility,” he said.
/Uirab noted that this move is a more strategic response to the nation’s evolving economic landscape and is imperative for an efficient transport system to navigate Namibia’s expansive terrain and facilitate regional development initiatives.
“If you want to develop some of these new economic regimes that are coming up, we need to have a very efficient transport system within the country to take people from point A to point B because of our country’s past. It’s very important that we as a nation look at starting a new national airline,” he said at the occasion of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Air Connect Namibia Project Launch.
The purpose of the project is to increase direct air access in and out of Namibia to the rest of the world, particularly via its international airports, with an initial focus on Hosea Kutako International Airport.
This project is in collaboration with the City of Windhoek, Gondwana Collection, Namibia Tourism Board, Walvis Bay Corridor Group, Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board.
/Uirab noted that the project aims to improve the country’s competitiveness and support growth sectors, making it a stronger tourism and business location for foreign direct investment, stimulating economic growth and job creation.
It further aims to do this by increasing direct air access between the region and international markets through the establishment of new international routes at the airport.
Ministry of Works and Transport’s Director for Transport Cedric Limbo said the government aims to engage key stakeholders to unlock other markets.
“We should not only focus on the traditional markets, yes, we have the Germans and we have the British, but we need to unlock other markets. That’s why the government will deliberately now be going out marketing, they will throw up other connectivity. We have now successfully been able to look at the Far East Europe and of course, through SADC most of the African countries to ensure that connectivity is a reality,” he said.
Namibia has been without a national airline since Air Namibia was liquidated in 2021 following a Cabinet decision.
The aviation entity was submerged into multibillion-dollar debt, of which the government could not manage to provide a financial injection.
FlyNamibia is currently the country’s sole domestic and regional airline.
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