Editing Air Namibia (section)

=== Early years ===
[[File:Air_Namibia_Boeing_747SP_ZS-SPB_FRA_1996-10-3.png|thumb|An Air Namibia [[Boeing 747SP]] at [[Frankfurt Airport]] in 1996.]]
The origins of the airline trace back to {{start date|1946|11}}, when ''South West Air Transport (SWAT)'' was established. Using [[Ryan Navion]] aircraft, this carrier started operations in 1949 linking Windhoek with [[Grootfontein]].{{#tag:ref|Also reported to having started operations in 1948.<ref name="FI2004" />|group="nb"}} 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.{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=136}} On 26 March 1959,<ref name="FI1985" /> SWAT merged with ''Oryx Aviation'' — a small passenger airline established three years earlier{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=135}}— to form ''South West Airways'' ({{langx|af|Suidwes Lugdiens}}).<ref name="FI1981" /><ref name="Air Malawi General Manager" /> [[IATA]] membership was gained later that year.<ref name="Flight1959-95" />

Two [[Cessna 205]]s were purchased, entering the fleet in {{start date|1962|12}} and eventually replacing the Navions.{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=136}} ''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 {{start date|1970|2}}, the Suidwes fleet comprised four [[Piper PA-23|Piper Aztecs]], one [[de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver]], two [[Piper PA-28 Cherokee]]s, one [[Cessna 182]], one Cessna 205, one [[Cessna 206]], one [[Cessna 402]], three [[Douglas DC-3]]s and five [[Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche]]s; 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.{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=136}}

Suidwes merged into '''Namib Air''' on 1 December 1978.<ref name="FI2004" />{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=136}} The [[South West Africa]]n government became the major shareholder in 1982.<ref name="SW History">{{cite web|title=About us – History &#124; Air Namibia |url=http://www.airnamibia.com.na/node/7 |publisher=Air Namibia |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718154357/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.airnamibia.com.na%2Fnode%2F7 |archive-date=18 July 2012 |url-status=dead  }}</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">{{cite journal|title=World Airline Directory – Namib Air |journal=[[Flight International]] |date=1 April 1989 |page=106 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%200916.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104185922/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%200916.html |archive-date=4 November 2012 |access-date=5 July 2012 |url-status=live  }}</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 1900]]s were bought. In 1988, the company was incorporated into the Namibian state-owned holding company [[Transnamib]].{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=135}} On 6 August 1989, a [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]] [[lease]]d from [[South African Airways]] that flew the Windhoek–[[Johannesburg]] route inaugurated the carrier's [[Jet aircraft|jet]] era.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Namib Air plans US flights |journal=[[Flight International]] |date=2 September 1989 |page=11 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%202673.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105170303/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%202673.html |archive-date=5 November 2012 |access-date=5 July 2012 |quote=SAA recently leased a Boeing 737 to Namib Air for its first jet flights between Windhoek, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref name="FI1990">{{cite journal|title=World Airline Directory – Namib Air |journal=[[Flight International]] |page=113 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1990/1990%20-%200765.html |date=14–20 March 1990 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104154453/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1990/1990%20-%200765.html |archive-date=4 November 2012 |access-date=5 July 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref> In {{MONTHNAME|10}} the same year, a third Beech 1900 was incorporated into the fleet.{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=135}}

[[File:Air_Namibia_MD-11_V5-NMD_ZRH_2005-6-29.png|thumb|An Air Namibia [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]] at [[Zurich Airport]] in 2005.]]
Services to [[Lusaka]] and [[Luanda]] were launched in 1990 and 1991, respectively.{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=135}} Following the independence of the country, the company was re-christened again, adopting the current name of ''Air Namibia'' in {{start date|1991|10}}.<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.{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=134}} In 1993, services to Frankfurt, which were served twice-weekly, were also extended to London.{{sfnp|Guttery|1998|p=134}} Air Namibia was re-absorbed into the Namibian government after an injection of {{US$|3700000|link=yes|1998}} in 1998, following the precarious cash position it was led into by TransNamib.<ref>{{cite news|title=Government saves Air Namibia |author=Hilka Birns |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1998/12/09/45828/government-saves-air-namibia.html |agency=[[Flight International]] |location=Cape Town |work=[[Flightglobal.com]] |date=9 December 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407102401/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/government-saves-air-namibia-45828/ |archive-date=7 April 2015 |access-date=1 May 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref> [[LTU International|LTU]], Germany's second largest airline at the time, entered into a ''codeshare agreement'' with Air Namibia in February 1998.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://allafrica.com/stories/199804170126.html| title = Reference at allafrica.com}}</ref> Air Namibia acquired a new [[Boeing 747-400|Boeing 747-400 Combi]] in {{start date|1999|4}} 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 {{MONTHNAME|10}} 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" />