While maintaining the strategic importance of the Windhoek to Rundu flight, Fly Namibia managing director André Compion says it is not commercially viable due to a lack of support.
Fly Namibia flies to Rundu on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, departing Windhoek at 07h30 and returning from Rundu at 16h00.
Most of the time, it has three or fewer passengers.
Compion, who was speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement on Monday, said the route can only be secured if supported by stakeholders
in the region, mainly private individuals, the various institutions, and the business community.
“We can offer a better solution to the travel needs of such officials. I’m, therefore, more than comfortable to request the leaders of these regions to ensure their officials fly rather than drive, if possible,” he added.
Compion noted that the bulk of clients using their services are government employees.
To rescue the endangered route, he pleaded with the regional leadership
to fly staff to and from Windhoek.
On his part, works and transport minister John Mutorwa, who chaired the meeting, said the 700km drive between Rundu and Windhoek could easily be curtailed to an hour flight.
“We are here today to inform one another about some pertinent
issues related to Fly Namibia’s Eros-Rundu, and Rundu-Eros route. On 21 June, I flew from Eros Airport to
Rundu ,and there were only three passengers on board. I suggested to the leadership of the flight that maybe people do not have information about the flight schedule, hence today’s information-sharing meeting,” he stated.
Kavango East governor Bonifatius Wakudumo felt there is a need to support Fly Namibia, as the route is important for various reasons.
He, however, criticised the airline for not being visible enough in the region. Meanwhile, Kavango West governor Sirkka Ausiku agreed with Wakudumo, saying: “They [Fly Namibia] are not known to us as Kavango West region, and maybe they did not see the need to come to us because they have written us off as we don’t have the money to use their services. Maybe we also don’t have economic programmes taking place in our region. Otherwise, they could have made a point to come and meet us and sell us their business”.
Ausiku told Fly Namibia officials that Kavango West has a hive of economic activities going on.
“We have government projects taking place, and it is so funny that engineers coming to inspect our projects are flying to Ondangwa and then driving to our region from there instead of flying to Rundu, which is closer. Even officials from Nampower and the Ministry of Mines and
Energy always fly to Ondangwa and then drive to Kavango West,” a baffled Ausiku informed the meeting.