Namibia’s air passenger traffic rebounds in July
Tourism and business travel show renewed momentum after mid-year slowdown
Namibia’s aviation sector saw a sharp rebound in July 2025, with overall passenger movement rising by 15.4% compared to June, marking a strong recovery from the previous month’s decline of 5.7%.
This improvement, reflected in the latest Passenger Movement Composite Index, highlights renewed confidence in both tourism and domestic air travel after a temporary mid-year slowdown.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), 103 070 passengers arrived and departed through Namibia’s airports during July 2025 — up from 89 292 in June.
On a year-on-year basis, passenger traffic increased by 11% from the 92 818 passengers recorded in July 2024, underscoring a steady upward trend in Namibia’s post-pandemic air travel recovery.
The report on Passenger Arrivals and Departures for July stated that Hosea Kutako International Airport remained the dominant gateway, handling 83.8% of the total passenger traffic.
Walvis Bay Airport followed with 8.7%, and Eros Airport in Windhoek with 4.5%.
The remaining regional airports each contributed between 0.02% and 2.2% of total traffic.
Strongest growth
According to the report, the strongest monthly growth was observed at Walvis Bay Airport, where the Arrivals Index surged by 23.1%, while departures jumped by 28.6%.
It said that year-on-year, arrivals at Walvis Bay were up 24.1%, and departures by 17%, reflecting the port city’s growing appeal as a coastal tourism and business destination.
At Hosea, international arrivals climbed 21.7% month-on-month, while departures rose 7.2%, recovering from the 12.1% dip recorded in June this year.
On a year-to-year basis, arrivals and departures at Namibia’s main international gateway increased by 13.2% and 14.4%, respectively.
Eros Airport, serving mainly domestic routes, also registered a rebound, with arrivals up 13.4% and departures up 25.4% compared to June. However, year-on-year figures remained lower, with arrivals down 15.4% and departures down 16.9%.
The latest data points to renewed activity in Namibia’s aviation and tourism sectors, supported by growing visitor confidence and increased connectivity through major hubs. Analysts suggest that continued investment in air routes and regional tourism promotion will be key to sustaining this upward momentum in the coming months.
The Hospitality Association of Namibia has said that an overall occupancy rate of 67.5% was recorded for August this year, comparing well with 2024 (67.53%) and even slightly surpassing figures recorded in 2019 (61.18%) before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Particularly strong growth in arrivals was recorded from Italy, France, and the German-speaking markets of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
This improvement, reflected in the latest Passenger Movement Composite Index, highlights renewed confidence in both tourism and domestic air travel after a temporary mid-year slowdown.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), 103 070 passengers arrived and departed through Namibia’s airports during July 2025 — up from 89 292 in June.
On a year-on-year basis, passenger traffic increased by 11% from the 92 818 passengers recorded in July 2024, underscoring a steady upward trend in Namibia’s post-pandemic air travel recovery.
The report on Passenger Arrivals and Departures for July stated that Hosea Kutako International Airport remained the dominant gateway, handling 83.8% of the total passenger traffic.
Walvis Bay Airport followed with 8.7%, and Eros Airport in Windhoek with 4.5%.
The remaining regional airports each contributed between 0.02% and 2.2% of total traffic.
Strongest growth
According to the report, the strongest monthly growth was observed at Walvis Bay Airport, where the Arrivals Index surged by 23.1%, while departures jumped by 28.6%.
It said that year-on-year, arrivals at Walvis Bay were up 24.1%, and departures by 17%, reflecting the port city’s growing appeal as a coastal tourism and business destination.
At Hosea, international arrivals climbed 21.7% month-on-month, while departures rose 7.2%, recovering from the 12.1% dip recorded in June this year.
On a year-to-year basis, arrivals and departures at Namibia’s main international gateway increased by 13.2% and 14.4%, respectively.
Eros Airport, serving mainly domestic routes, also registered a rebound, with arrivals up 13.4% and departures up 25.4% compared to June. However, year-on-year figures remained lower, with arrivals down 15.4% and departures down 16.9%.
The latest data points to renewed activity in Namibia’s aviation and tourism sectors, supported by growing visitor confidence and increased connectivity through major hubs. Analysts suggest that continued investment in air routes and regional tourism promotion will be key to sustaining this upward momentum in the coming months.
The Hospitality Association of Namibia has said that an overall occupancy rate of 67.5% was recorded for August this year, comparing well with 2024 (67.53%) and even slightly surpassing figures recorded in 2019 (61.18%) before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Particularly strong growth in arrivals was recorded from Italy, France, and the German-speaking markets of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
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