The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) has revealed that Zambia Airways, Edelweiss and KLM plan to launch Windhoek flights.
NAC CEO Bisey /Uirab revealed that the Zambian government has already communicated its intention to launch the route with the Ministry of Works and Transport, with details still to be communicated.
“NAC received notification through the Ministry of Works and Transport that the Government of the Republic of Zambia has designated the Zambia Airways Limited to operate a scheduled passenger carrier on the Lusaka-Windhoek-Lusaka route. The planned dates for operations, including the flight schedules, are yet to be communicated for consideration and approval,†he said during the company’s annual general meeting.
/Uirab also revealed that Edelweiss and KLM were expected to commence flights to Namibia within the next 12 months after five international airlines had been engaged as part of the company’s route development initiative.
“As part of the NAC’s Route Development initiative, management met with 5 airlines in Europe in particular, British Airways, Condor Airlines, Edelweiss, Eurowings Discover and KLM in April 2023 to prepare the groundwork for future international flights from these potential (and existing) carriers. As an outflow of the said Route Development initiative major airlines such as Edelweiss and KLM are expected to commence flight operations to Namibia within the next twelve (12) months,†he said.
The airline’s plans come after Zimbabwean national airline Air Zimbabwe has also been linked with plans to start flights between Harare and Windhoek to take advantage of a gap in the market left by the collapse of Air Namibia.
South African low-budget airline FlySafair has also announced plans to offer daily flights from Johannesburg to Windhoek by the third quarter of this year after securing permission from the International Air Services Council to fly commercial flights to the destinations, among three others.
Namibia has seen an increase in interest for flights to Hosea Kutako International Airport, with Lufthansa Group having increased its Eurowings Discover flight frequencies to 10 flights per week including the Victoria Falls route effective from 27 March 2023 until the end of October 2023, while Ethiopian Airlines on its part increased its flight frequencies to seven flights weekly, effective from 28 March 2023.
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