When Air Namibia was grounded and liquidated in 2021, the decision was framed as bold fiscal discipline. After all, the airline had swallowed more than N$11 billion in government bailouts over two decades without ever finding sustainable profitability. To many, pulling the plug seemed the only sensible choice. But history has a way of exposing short-term decisions for what they truly are: costly miscalculations.
Today, as President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah signals her government’s intention to reintroduce a national carrier, we are compelled to ask ourselves: was closing Air Namibia the right move? The answer is an emphatic no. In fact, the liquidation of Air Namibia was one of the most short-sighted policy decisions in our democratic era, a mistake that has left Namibia weaker, poorer, and more isolated.
The cost of absence
A country without a national airline is a nation without wings. Since 2021, Namibia has been dependent on a patchwork of foreign carriers and FlyNamibia, a small domestic and regional operator with limited reach. The result has been fewer international connections, higher ticket prices, and diminished accessibility for both tourists and business travellers.
Tourism, one of our most vital industries, has suffered quietly. Tour operators lament the logistical nightmares of moving groups into Namibia when direct routes have dried up. Business leaders complain of missed opportunities when investors opt for Johannesburg, Cape Town, or Addis Ababa because Namibia is too difficult to reach. Even ordinary Namibians feel the pain in their pockets when a trip to Europe or Asia costs significantly more than it should.
By killing Air Namibia, we surrendered control over our own connectivity to external forces. In doing so, we placed our economy, trade potential, and national image at the mercy of other nations’ carriers.
Lessons from the past
Yes, Air Namibia was mismanaged. Yes, political interference and bloated staffing eroded its efficiency. Yes, government bailouts became a bottomless pit. But was the solution to dismantle the entire institution? Of course not.
The lesson from Air Namibia’s troubled history is not that a national airline is unviable. The lesson is that a national airline cannot succeed without professional management, a lean operational structure, and a clear mandate aligned with national development goals.
Air Namibia often operated with routes chosen for political symbolism rather than commercial viability. It carried staff numbers disproportionate to its fleet. It lacked meaningful alliances with global carriers. These are correctable errors, not fatal flaws.
What revival could look like
A revived Air Namibia must be built on three pillars: strategy, structure, and stewardship.
Strategy means a focused route network. Namibia does not need to fly everywhere. It needs to fly strategically, connecting Windhoek to major hubs such as Johannesburg, Frankfurt, Addis Ababa, and Dubai, and reinforcing intra-African links that feed into the African Continental Free Trade Area. We do not need a bloated intercontinental network; we need smart connectivity that positions Namibia as a bridge.
Structure means a leaner workforce, modern aircraft, and partnerships that lower costs. Codeshares and joint ventures with giants like Ethiopian Airlines or Qatar Airways could give Air Namibia reach without overstretching resources. Fleet modernisation could focus on smaller, fuel-efficient aircraft that match demand rather than drain resources.
Stewardship means insulating the airline from political interference. It must be run by professionals, not politicians. Clear governance structures and transparency will reassure taxpayers that their money is being used to build a viable asset, not a vanity project.
Global precedents
Other countries have walked this path and found success. Consider Ethiopian Airlines: once written off as another African state carrier destined to collapse, it reinvented itself under professional management, embraced a hub-and-spoke model, and is now the most successful airline on the continent.
Closer to home, South African Airways (SAA) faced collapse and bankruptcy. Yet rather than permanently liquidating, South Africa restructured the airline, reduced its routes, brought in private equity partners, and is steadily bringing it back to life. Similarly, Kenya Airways and RwandAir have endured turbulence but remain essential national assets, contributing directly to trade, tourism, and national branding.
If these nations have the ability to reinvent their carriers, why should Namibia accept a permanent grounding?
A question of sovereignty
An airline is not merely a company; it is a flag in the sky. For small nations like Namibia, national airlines serve as tools of sovereignty and soft power. When a Namibian-branded aircraft lands in Frankfurt, London, or Dubai, it sends a signal: we are here, we are open, we are connected.
Liquidating Air Namibia stripped us of that symbol. It told the world that Namibia was content to be carried by others rather than carry itself. That is not the spirit of an independent nation.
The way forward
President Nandi-Ndaitwah’s commitment to relaunching a national airline is not nostalgia. It is realism. It is an acknowledgement that no serious economy can thrive without control over its own air connectivity. The relaunch must not be a reckless return to the past, but a thoughtful resurrection rooted in the lessons of failure.
There will be critics who argue that taxpayers cannot afford another “bottomless pit”. They are right to demand safeguards. But the truth is, we cannot afford not to have a national airline. The costs of absence, in lost tourism, trade opportunities, investor confidence, and national pride, are far greater than the costs of revival done right.
Namibia should approach this as an investment in its future: a leaner, smarter Air Namibia that partners with regional giants, aligns with AfCFTA opportunities, and showcases our country as a serious player in global aviation.
The time has come to correct the mistake of 2021. The liquidation of Air Namibia grounded more than planes; it grounded opportunity. Reviving the airline will not only restore our wings; it will restore our confidence, sovereignty, and competitiveness.
Let us be clear: Namibia deserves its place in the skies.
