Although the independent domestic airline, FlyNamibia, currently flies between Eros in Windhoek and Lüderitz every weekday, this route has become
increasingly more overcrowded due to significant oil discoveries made in the Orange Basin off the coast of southern Namibia. These discoveries seem to be attracting many oil and mining industry experts who are flying through Lüderitz to the oil-rich areas in the vicinity.
“The FlyNamibia route between Eros and Lüderitz is operated in partnership with TotalEnergies EP Namibia who currently subsidise the route and book most seats per leg. We can therefore say that TotalEnergies’ activities in the area have been the catalyst for the reintroduction of direct flights between the capital and Lüderitz and they are our key partner in the route frequency’s continued success,” stated FlyNamibia spokesperson Adrian Muller. In response to New Era queries, Muller stated that FlyNamibia does not currently have plans to increase the capacity or frequency of its Lüderitz route.
The local airline recently introduced a new route between Walvis Bay and Cape Town at the end of October 2023, which has further increased Namibians’ connectivity with South Africa.
“We look forward to the launch of our direct route between Windhoek and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, in April 2024, as well as the introduction of flights to Maun and Luanda, pending final start date confirmations,” Muller added. The development of the Windhoek and Victoria Falls route is expected to open the sky for round-trip multi-destination travel in Southern Africa for FlyNamibia, which is a franchisee partner with South Africa’s Airlink.
“By connecting Windhoek and Victoria Falls, under this agreement, FlyNamibia is creating new opportunities for tourists and business travellers. With this route, FlyNamibia will stimulate tourism while also fostering trade, commerce and broader economic activity between Namibia and Zimbabwe,” explained Andrè Compion, managing director of FlyNamibia.
Flights on the Windhoek and Victoria Falls route are scheduled to commence from 4 April 2024 and are to be operated by a modern and comfortable 50-seat Embraer 145 aircraft, flown under Airlink’s ‘4Z’ flight code. FlyNamibia operates domestic routes, linking Eros Airport to Ondangwa, Katima Mulilo, Lüderitz and Oranjemund. Regionally, it serves Cape Town from the Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport and Walvis Bay.
FlyNamibia Safari provides tourism shuttle connections between Hosea Kutako International Airport and Namibia’s popular tourism attractions at Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Twyfelfontein, Etosha (Ongava and Mokuti), as well as between Eros and Rundu.
“Our partnership strategy with FlyNamibia is to maximise the opportunity to establish Hosea Kutako International Airport as a gateway to other regional destinations. The new Windhoek-Victoria Falls route is the first manifestation of this, and we expect to announce more in the coming weeks and months. It will benefit our customers by making it more convenient to travel between the region’s main attractions. It also creates opportunities for our partners in the travel and tourism sector to offer new itineraries,” said Airlink CEO Rodger Foster.
Airlink and FlyNamibia established a partnership in September 2022, with Airlink underpinning the partnership by acquiring a minority shareholding in FlyNamibia. This commercial and operational collaboration is anticipated to see FlyNamibia expand its network and schedule more destinations and flights to connect Namibia with other key markets in the region and beyond.
– ebrandt@nepc.com.na