Privately-owned FlyNamibia yesterday launched its inaugural scheduled flights that will link Windhoek and Walvis Bay as the airline seeks to rapidly expand its domestic network.
The new thrice-weekly service will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between the Eros Airport and Walvis Bay International Airport, with the first scheduled passenger flight to commence on 28 October this year.
The new domestic route that was previously serviced by the liquidated Air Namibia was widely welcomed by industry players, including Namibia Airports Company (NAC) CEO Bisey /Uirab during the launch event at Walvis Bay yesterday.
“This heralds a new phase, where we are connecting the hearts of business in our country – Khomas and Erongo,” said /Uirab, while imploring Namibia to adopt habits of flying frequently.
“Aviation is an expensive business to run. Namibia is a vast country where we travel hundreds of kilometres to connect with our families and homes. It is about time we become a flying nation. It is very convenient to fly between A and B. It also saves us time. We all know time is money, and the number of productive hours spent on the roads is costing our economy. We should, thus, adopt a flying culture.”
FlyNamibia recently announced a new partnership with South African private airline Airlink, which acquired a 40% strategic stake in the Namibian airline.
According to FlyNamibia, the new partnership is aimed at giving the flying public more options, more access and broader horizons to discover and explore FlyNamibia’s operational capacity.
FlyNamibia managing director Andre Compion also announced the airline will launch another route connecting Walvis Bay and Cape Town before Christmas this year.
On his part, Erongo governor Neville Andre hopes the new route between Windhoek and Walvis will strengthen trade and tourism.
“I am confident the introduction of this direct flight destination will help relieve the weight of travel and tourism for those who live in Walvis Bay to conduct business and ease travel for visitors to Namibia who like to include the Erongo region in their itinerary; thus, it will support our crucial tourism sector,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by Benitha Imbamba, chairperson of the Erongo regional council.
Walvis Bay mayor Trevino Forbes also commended FlyNamibia for the new route. “In the past, this route has served as a key enabler for economic and tourism growth and development. FlyNamibia, with this new direct flight to Walvis Bay and its combined regional network and schedule, will unlock efficiencies for Namibia’s business, trade as well as travel and tourism sectors,” he said.