Namibia Airports Company (NAC) has launched the ‘Air Connect Namibia’ project in a bid to create new international routes at the country’s airports, ultimately increasing direct air access to the nation.
The project was initiated following the Namibia Aviation and Connectivity Forum held in 2022, which brought together international and domestic aviation stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
“The goal of this initiative is to stimulate air traffic and connectivity to and from Namibia. This, importantly, involves retaining our existing carriers and promoting potential new carriers interested in this market,” Christian Faure, Executive Commercial Services at NAC told Tourism Update.
Gitta Paetzold, CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia (HAN), said members of the initiative were expected to give both intellectual and financial contribution to the cause.
“HAN and the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations maintain an advisory role for this initiative, given that aviation is key to the growth and success of the tourism sector, and the decisions on which airlines target to connect Namibia to the markets are crucial for the development of our sector,” said Paetzold.
The stakeholders involved in the project are grouped into five categories:
- Government – e.g. Ministry of Works and Transport, City of Windhoek.
- Aviation Air Transport – Namibia Airports Company.
- Tourism – Namibia Tourism Board, Gondwana Collection.
- Investment – Namibia Investment Promotion Development Board (NIPDB) and Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI).
- Logistics – Walvis Bay Corridor Group.
