Air Namibia

Template:Short description Template:Infobox airline

Air Namibia (Pty) Limited, which traded as Air Namibia, was the national airline of Namibia,<ref name="Namibia: Air Nam Reduces Flights" /> headquartered in the country's capital, Windhoek.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It operated scheduled domestic, regional, and international passenger and cargo services, having its international hub in Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport and a domestic hub at the smaller Windhoek Eros Airport. Template:As of, the carrier was wholly owned by the Namibian government.<ref name="Corporate Profile" /> Air Namibia was a member of both the International Air Transport Association and the African Airlines Association.

HistoryEdit

Early yearsEdit

File:Air Namibia Boeing 747SP ZS-SPB FRA 1996-10-3.png

An Air Namibia Boeing 747SP at Frankfurt Airport in 1996.

The origins of the airline trace back to Template:Start date, when South West Air Transport (SWAT) was established. Using Ryan Navion aircraft, this carrier started operations in 1949 linking Windhoek with Grootfontein.<ref group="nb">Also reported to having started operations in 1948.<ref name="FI2004" /></ref> Charter and cargo flights were also undertaken. In 1950, the company started feeder services for South African Airways. By 1958, a fleet of seven Ryan Navions and one de Havilland Dragon Rapide served a route network that included Grootfontein, Tsumeb, Otjiwarongo, Outjo, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Windhoek.Template:Sfnp On 26 March 1959,<ref name="FI1985" /> SWAT merged with Oryx Aviation — a small passenger airline established three years earlierTemplate:Sfnp— to form South West Airways (Template:Langx).<ref name="FI1981" /><ref name="Air Malawi General Manager" /> IATA membership was gained later that year.<ref name="Flight1959-95" />

Two Cessna 205s were purchased, entering the fleet in Template:Start date and eventually replacing the Navions.Template:Sfnp Namibair, set up as a charter airline in 1963, became a subsidiary company of Suidwes Lugdiens in 1966.<ref name="FI1972-43" /> In 1969, Safmarine acquired a 50% stake in Suidwes,<ref name="FI1972-43" /> eventually boosting its participation to 85%.<ref name="FI1975-268" /> At Template:Start date, the Suidwes fleet comprised four Piper Aztecs, one de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, two Piper PA-28 Cherokees, one Cessna 182, one Cessna 205, one Cessna 206, one Cessna 402, three Douglas DC-3s and five Piper PA-30 Twin Comanches; at this time the carrier had 45 employees.<ref name="FI1970-212" /> A Fairchild-Hiller FH-227 was acquired in 1974, and a Convair 580 was later incorporated into the fleet to perform charter flights carrying miners to their jobs in Grootfontein and Tsumeb.Template:Sfnp

Suidwes merged into Namib Air on 1 December 1978.<ref name="FI2004" />Template:Sfnp The South West African government became the major shareholder in 1982.<ref name="SW History">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following the creation of the South West Africa National Transport Corporation in 1986, Namib Air took over all air transport operations in the country.<ref name="FI1989">Template:Cite journal</ref> The airline was designated as the country's flag carrier in 1987.<ref name="FI2004" /><ref name="FI1989" /> That year, two 19-seater Beech 1900s were bought. In 1988, the company was incorporated into the Namibian state-owned holding company Transnamib.Template:Sfnp On 6 August 1989, a Boeing 737-200 leased from South African Airways that flew the Windhoek–Johannesburg route inaugurated the carrier's jet era.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="FI1990">Template:Cite journal</ref> In Template:MONTHNAME the same year, a third Beech 1900 was incorporated into the fleet.Template:Sfnp

File:Air Namibia MD-11 V5-NMD ZRH 2005-6-29.png

An Air Namibia McDonnell Douglas MD-11 at Zurich Airport in 2005.

Services to Lusaka and Luanda were launched in 1990 and 1991, respectively.Template:Sfnp Following the independence of the country, the company was re-christened again, adopting the current name of Air Namibia in Template:Start date.<ref name="FI2004" /> The early 1990s also saw the launch of long-haul services to Europe: the Windhoek–Frankfurt route started being flown in 1991 twice a week using a Boeing 747SP, and London was included into the route network in 1992,<ref name="SW History" /> with a non-stop flight.Template:Sfnp In 1993, services to Frankfurt, which were served twice-weekly, were also extended to London.Template:Sfnp Air Namibia was re-absorbed into the Namibian government after an injection of Template:US$ in 1998, following the precarious cash position it was led into by TransNamib.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> LTU, Germany's second largest airline at the time, entered into a codeshare agreement with Air Namibia in February 1998.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Air Namibia acquired a new Boeing 747-400 Combi in Template:Start date with financial aid from the U.S. Export Import Bank.<ref name="Air Namibia Acquires Boeing 747-400 Combi" /> Named Welwitschia, the aircraft was handed over by the manufacturer in Template:MONTHNAME that year.<ref name="Air Namibia Takes Delivery of Its First Boeing 747-400 Combi" /> The new machine came to replace the carrier's Boeing 747SP,<ref name="Namibia boosts cargo with 747 Combi" /> and was retired in 2004.<ref name="Namibia: National Airline Enters New Era" /> That year, the carrier started flying the McDonnell Douglas MD-11.<ref name="FI2004-69" />

Developments since the 2000sEdit

File:Air Namibia A340-300 V5-NME FRA 2013-07-14.png

An Air Namibia Airbus A340-300 at Frankfurt Airport in 2013.

By Template:Start date, the airline's employees numbered 418. At this time, Air Namibia operated a Boeing 727-100, two Boeing 737-200 Advanced, one Boeing 747-400 Combi and three Raytheon Beech 1900Cs that served Cape Town, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London, Luanda, Luderitz, Lusaka, Maun, Mokuti Lodge, Mpacha, Ondangwa, Oranjemund, Swakopmund, Victoria Falls, Walvis Bay and Windhoek.<ref name="FI2000-63" /> That year, the airline joined the African Airlines Association.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The first of three Embraer ERJ 135s the airline leased from Régional, intended to replace the Beechcraft 1900 fleet,<ref name="Aircraft News" /> was received in Template:Start date;<ref name="Air Namibia exploite son premier Embraer ERJ-135" /> likewise, the first of two leased Airbus A319-100s entered the fleet in Template:MONTHNAME the same year.<ref name="Namibia: National Airline Enters New Era" /> Intended as a replacement for the Boeing 737 fleet,<ref name="Namibia: National Airline Enters New Era" /> the company ordered another two Airbus A319s in Template:Start date, in a deal worth Template:US$ million;<ref name="Air Namibia commande deux Airbus A319" /><ref name="Air Namibia places order for two A319s" /> in Template:MONTHNAME the same year, the carrier signed an agreement for the lease of two Airbus A330-200s, aimed at replacing the Airbus A340-300s.<ref name="Air Namibia signs lease agreement for two new Airbus A330-200 aircraft" /> Of the last two A319s ordered, the first one was incorporated into the fleet in early Template:Start date.<ref name="Namibia: New Air Namibia Plane Arrives" /> In Template:Start date,<ref name="Air Namibia takes delivery of first A330-200" /> Air Namibia took delivery of its first Airbus A330-200.<ref name="A330-200s to cut costs" /><ref name="AirNam new planes unprofitable, but will cut down costs" />

In Template:Start date, the airline was granted permission to fly to the United States by the US Department of Transportation. In March the airline completed a re-certification application by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (an audit process which was initiated in 2013), enabling the airline to fly to any EU member state.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Decline and shutdownEdit

Air Namibia had been making losses since Namibian independence. In 2020, its assets stood at below 1 billion N$, while its liabilities amounted to 3 billion N$. Around 11 billion N$ had been provided by government over the previous 20 years. The airline was essentially "on death row".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 8 July 2020 the Transportation Commission of Namibia suspended the carrier's Scheduled Air Services Licence, citing financial and safety concerns.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2020 the airline was given notice by Belgian lawyer Anicet Baum, of the company Challengair, claiming that Air Namibia was insolvent and unable to repay its debts to Challengeair (an amount of 18,s million Euro), which was settled to be repaid in instalments until September 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 11 February 2021, the Namibian government announced the immediate shutdown and liquidation of Air Namibia due to overwhelming debt and years of financial dependence from the state.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="aerotelegraph.com"> {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the time of closure, the airline operated nine aircraft and employed approximately 600 staff.<ref name="aerotelegraph.com"/>

In late October 2021, a South African aviation company offered 3.2 billion Namibian dollars to purchase the airline.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

DestinationsEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:As of, the route network comprised 18 destinations and 19 airports in nine different countries in Africa and Europe, with seven of these destinations being domestic ones.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Codeshare agreementsEdit

Air Namibia codeshared with the following airlines, Template:As of:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

FleetEdit

File:Airbus A330-200 Air Namibia (NMB) F-WWYC - MSN 1451 - Will be V5-ANO (9716408773).jpg

Air Namibia Airbus A330-200

File:Air Namibia ERJ-135 Breidenstein-1.jpg

Air Namibia Embraer ERJ 135ER

Final fleetEdit

The Air Namibia fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of August 2019):<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Air Namibia fleet
Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers			Notes
Aircraft	In service	Orders	C	Y	Total	Notes
Airbus A319-100	4	—	16	96	112<ref name="Namibia: National Airline Enters New Era" /><ref name="Namibia: New Air Namibia Plane Arrives" />
Airbus A330-200	2	—	30	214	244<ref name="Namibia: Air Namibia Introduces New Planes" />
Embraer ERJ 135ER	4	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	—	37	37
Embraer ERJ 145ER	—	4<ref name="aerospace"/>	—	50	50
Total	10	6

Fleet developmentEdit

In recent developments regarding the Embraer ERJ-135-fleet, Westair Aviation, a 100% Namibian-owned company, acquired the four aircraft from the previous owner, Air France. According to the new owners, Westair would've enabled the upgrade and renewal of the domestic and regional fleet.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2017 the airline confirmed that it was committed to purchasing 2 new Embraer ERJ-135 and 4 new Embraer ERJ-145 jets, for delivery 2018<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> However, none of those were ever delivered prior to the airline's demise.Template:Citation needed