The CEO of FlyAfrica Ltd, Adrian Hamilton-Manns, says his firm is considering setting up a second carrier in Namibia to focus on the country's domestic market.
"What we'll be doing in Namibia is a completely new project to operate low-cost flights,” he told African Aerospace. “That company would be jointly managed with Namibia-based Bay Air Aviation (Windhoek Eros) and operate under a completely different name and with different planes from Namibia flyafrica (Windhoek International).”
Hamilton-Manns indicated the proposed new carrier would likely operate 50-seater jets.
The firm's main Namibian operation, Namibia Flyafrica, is scheduled to launch commercial operations next month despite protracted attempts by incumbent operator Air Namibia (Windhoek International), to block it. In its complaint to Namibia's Transport Commission, the state-backed national carrier claims the LCC lacks a valid Air Operators Certificate (AOC) as well as the requisite traffic rights needed to service its planned Windhoek International-Johannesburg O.R. Tambo route.
According to the Windhoek Observer, regardless of the TC's decision, Namibia flyafrica is planning to go ahead and commence commercial operations as in its view, the country's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the Ministry of Transport have issued it with all the necessary paperwork needed to do so.
Should operations commence, Namibia flyafrica will be the LCC's second franchise to launch after Zimbabwe flyafrica (Harare International) which launched a year ago.
Hamilton-Manns says flyafrica is involved in six other projects of which three are airlines. It is believed Mozambique flyafrica (Maputo) will launch on October 10 followed by a Central African subsidiary (possibly Gabon flyafrica (Libreville Leon M'Ba)) in November while a West African operation is slated for early 2016.
