Namibia Air feasibility study finalised, details withheld

Works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi has confirmed that a feasibility study for a proposed new national airline has been completed and is now under review even as key details remain undisclosed.

He confirmed that government had budgeted about N$20 million for the feasibility study, of which less than 4% was spent.

Nekundi told parliament last week that sensitive information cannot yet be made public due to the strategic nature of the aviation sector amid growing scrutiny over transparency, costs and governance.

“Honourable members, as leaders of this country, just as other countries around the world, we must know what to publish and when to publish,” Nekundi said.

The study, he said, was carried out by an inter-ministerial team of experts during the current financial year and is now under review.

However, he declined to disclose the consultants involved, comparative analysis with previous national carrier reports, or detailed findings, arguing that aviation remains a highly competitive and sensitive industry.

Revived airline plans

The proposed national airline project, referred to as Namibia Air, is being positioned as a successor national carrier following the collapse of Air Namibia in 2020 and its subsequent liquidation.

In a separate briefing reported six months ago, Nekundi confirmed that the planned airline will prioritise hiring qualified former Air Namibia employees, but only on a merit basis.

He stressed that the process would not amount to automatic re-employment of former staff, but rather competitive selection aligned with international aviation standards.

"Candidates must fit the role in terms of skills, ethics, attitude and qualifications,” Nekundi said.

Air Namibia was grounded in March 2020 and placed under provisional liquidation in February 2021 following court proceedings initiated by creditors, including the Namibia Airports Company.

More than 600 employees lost their jobs in the process, with severance payments and broader socioeconomic fallout continuing to draw public attention years later.

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