NAC develops air services

The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) has announced the setting up of a formal air service development program aimed at “procuring” new airline services in a move to deliver passenger traffic growth at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport.
In a statement, the NAC said the programme, known as “Fly Windhoek”, will be modelled on other successful European airport initiatives where stakeholders have joined forces to provide a package of incentives to help share the start-up risk of new routes. The programme also intends to support capacity growth on existing routes and build charter airline/tour operator-supported programmes, through various marketing support interventions.
Toska Sem, General Manager of Commercial Services at NAC said there is a widespread consensus within the aviation industry to liberalise air transport access across African states.
“Accordingly, it is a good time to remind the international airline community that Namibia is a signatory to the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) on the Liberalization of Air Transport Markets in Africa and is open for aviation business,” Sem said.
She added that the NAC wants to take advantage of the rapid changes that are emerging across African and international aviation. According to Sem, the NAC is already seeing the emergence of new low-cost airlines coming into the African market, such as the recently launched Fastjet, that is transforming aviation in Tanzania and Kenya. She said Windhoek is a perfect low cost destination which needs to be actively sold, and where enormous opportunities exist to stimulate low cost passenger growth.
The NAC said it believes that air transport access is a key driver for regional economic growth and where the successful procurement of new airline services is not just the responsibility of airports alone, but one where all key stakeholders have to come together to present their collective pull factors.