Namibian hopeful Fly Etosha (Windhoek Eros) plans to re-apply for an air transport license after its first attempt was rejected by the Namibian Transportation Commission, founder William Ekandjo has told the Namibian Sun newspaper.
"We are busy correcting the issues identified by the commission. I can't say how long the process will take, but let's say more or less a month or so," he said.
The startup initially planned to debut around June 2023 on domestic and regional routes after it applied in January for a scheduled and non-scheduled air service license for domestic, regional, and international flights. Fly Etosha proposed to spend USD37.6 million on a varied fleet of 33 aircraft, including in-house regional aircraft and a mixture of leased narrowbodies and widebodies.
Exercising its statutory rights under Naminbia's Air Services Act, FlyNamibia (WV, Windhoek Eros) formally objected to FlyEtosha's plans with the Transportation Commission of Namibia on February 14, 2023, raising concerns about the startup's ability to offer a safe, satisfactory, and reliable service. However, it soon withdrew its objection following a public outcry that it was trying to stifle competition.
"We are focused on what we are doing. This is a field we know very well, so we didn't even bother [with FlyNamibia's opposition] because we are going in for competition," Ekandjo told The Namibian Sun. "We satisfy all requirements," he claimed. "Funds, one could say - 'OK, it's not enough' - maybe, but what amount [would be enough] because we could raise all the funds," he said. Ekandjo is a retired pilot and former acting senior flight operations manager at defunct Air Namibia.
