Namibia Air Selected as Name for New National Airline
Namibia Air has been chosen as the official name for the country’s proposed new national carrier, which the government aims to launch in the next financial year, according to Works and Transport Minister Veikko Nekundi.
Speaking on Namibia’s Desert Radio, Nekundi confirmed that Cabinet has approved the name and that the airline will be registered as Namibia Air (Pty) Ltd, fully owned by the state and overseen by an interim ten-member board. He added that the ministry is finalizing market analysis, traffic forecasts and the business model for the startup carrier.
A fleet plan will follow as the next stage of development, with the government still weighing whether to purchase or lease aircraft. “Once we have analysed all those economic metrics, we will again update the public,” Nekundi said.
Former Air Namibia employees may be considered for roles if their skills align with the new airline’s needs. Nekundi stressed that Namibia Air will operate with a lean workforce in line with global efficiency benchmarks, and every staffing and operational decision will be evaluated against commercial viability to ensure long-term sustainability.
A key priority will be avoiding the missteps that contributed to Air Namibia’s collapse, including uncompetitive leasing costs, overstaffing and loss-making routes. All decisions related to fleet, staffing and network strategy will be commercially driven to protect taxpayer funds.
Namibia Air is also expected to support regional integration goals. The carrier is likely to leverage newly ratified fifth-freedom rights to strengthen connectivity across Africa and may seek strategic partnerships or feeder agreements with other airlines as part of its expansion strategy.
Nekundi said the government’s move to reestablish a national airline follows “clear policy directives” outlined in the SWAPO 2024 election manifesto implementation plan. SWAPO has advocated for a new flag carrier since 2022.
Air Namibia, the former national airline, was liquidated in March 2021 after receiving NAD8 billion (USD467 million) in state bailouts over three decades. At the time of liquidation, its fleet included A319-100s, A330-200s, E135s and a Boeing 737-500.
Attempts to replace it—such as startup Fly Etosha—never progressed due to licensing issues. The government also held discussions with Ethiopian Airlines on reviving a Namibian carrier, but no deal materialized.
Today, domestic and regional connectivity is provided by FlyNamibia, a joint venture between Westair Aviation and Airlink. Airlink holds a 30% share of weekly seat capacity at Windhoek International, with additional international service from South African Airways, Discover Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, TAAG Angola Airlines, FlySafair and Proflight Zambia.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com