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President Hage Geingob wants to revive the country’s defunct national airline, Air Namibia. He took advantage of his recent visit to Ethiopia for the 36th ordinary session of heads of state and government at the African Union (AU) to meet with representatives of Ethiopian Airlines.
President Hage Geingob wants to revive the country’s defunct national airline, Air Namibia. He took advantage of his recent visit to Ethiopia for the 36th ordinary session of heads of state and government at the African Union (AU) to meet with representatives of Ethiopian Airlines. He met with Ethiopia Airlines’ chairperson, Girma Wake, and its chief executive officer Mesfin Tasew in Addis Ababa and sought their assistance. Ethiopian Airlines expressed an interest in cooperating with Namibia in this endeavour, but it does not imply that a decision has been taken to work with Ethiopian Airlines.
Presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari confirmed this development. He described the meeting with Ethiopian Airlines as prospective. The President highlighted a roadmap to revive the airline during the meeting. Geingob in his address at the AU summit reiterated the ruling party’s sentiment that the country needs a national airline. He said a clear plan would be tabled at the Cabinet level for decision-making.
Air Namibia was liquidated in 2021 following years of incurring losses running into billions through mismanagement. He also reflected on the fact that should a partner be chosen to work with the Namibian government, it would be done in the interests of Namibia.
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Economic analyst Theo Klein says the revival of Air Namibia would be good for those Namibians who have lost their jobs after Air Namibia’s liquidation. He says ensuring Namibia’s airports function effectively and charging international airlines airport taxes and various other charges could work well in the absence of having our own national airline. However, joining Ethiopian Airlines could restore jobs and could allow new opportunities to be explored. Ethiopian Airlines is one of the few profitable airlines in Africa. So, Namibia can learn from this partnership and it could lead to efficiency in local air cargo and passenger operations.
