Namibia's new transport minister, Veikko Nekundi, has made the revival of defunct Air Namibia (Windhoek International) his top priority, along with revamping the southern African country's rail and road infrastructure.
"We must revive Air Namibia. Consultations will soon begin on rehabilitating our airports and bringing our national airline back to life," he told the country's New Era newspaper in an interview.
Nekundi reiterated the government's key priorities, as outlined in the ruling South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) election manifesto implementation plan.
As reported by ch-aviation, that implementation plan includes the revival of the national airline with a focus on well-thought-out strategies to avoid past mistakes. In February, the Namibian cabinet approved incorporating the manifesto into government policies, with implementation set to begin on April 1, 2025.
According to The Namibian newspaper, new finance minister Erica Shafudah also supports the idea of resurrecting Air Namibia.
In March 2021, the Namibian government voluntarily liquidated Air Namibia after years of financial losses and mismanagement. Over the previous decade, the government had spent NAD9 billion Namibian dollars (USD495 million) bailing out the airline.
Still, SWAPO has since repeatedly called for the flag carrier's resurrection, a move the political opposition has criticised, arguing that the arid country with a population of 2.9 million people cannot afford, nor need, a national airline and should spend its resources on more pressing socioeconomic issues.
