The Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) says the country faces a serious air connectivity deficit following the closure of Air Namibia, and must consider viable solutions, including the revival or restructuring of a national airline, or forming strong partnerships with international carriers.
NTB Chief Executive Sebulon Chicalu said Namibia’s widening international marketing efforts will not translate into full economic benefit without reliable air access.
“As we continue to promote Namibia in major international markets, the interest is there but if visitors cannot find flights, then we create a bottleneck that limits our growth,” he said.
Chicalu noted that before its closure, Air Namibia carried an estimated 33% of all arrivals to Namibia, more than any other carrier at the time.
He said this highlights the impact the national airline had on sustaining tourism flows, and the scale of the disruption caused by its liquidation.
Plans to revive a national airline have now gathered momentum, with Cabinet endorsing Namibia Air (Pty) Ltd as the name of the planned carrier, which will be fully owned by the state. A technical committee of aviation specialists has been appointed to guide the process and ensure long-term sustainability.
Air Namibia was liquidated in 2021 after prolonged financial strain and dependency on state support. When operations ceased on 11 February 2021, the airline employed over 600 staff and carried liabilities of nearly N$5.4 billion against assets of just over N$1 billion.
Chicalu said improved connectivity remains critical to unlocking tourism growth, noting that Namibia’s promotional campaigns in the United States, Canada, India, China and Eastern Europe will continue to fall short without sufficient airline capacity to meet renewed demand.
