SAA is back after more than three year absence

Namibia’s Airports Company (NAC) on Thursday welcomed backed South African Airways (SAA) to its fray of international airlines that call at the flagship, Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA), as the aviation industry revitalises.

The SAA, which landed on Thursday, last visited Namibia in March 2019 and with its return will join other airlines calling at HKIA that include, Qatar Airways; TAAG Angola; Ethiopian Airlines; German’s Eurowings Discover; Airlink from South Africa, and FlyNamibia Airline, NAC spokesperson Dan Kamati told Xinhua Thursday.

“We at NAC are excited with the return of SAA because it means more choices for visitors and travelers,” Kamati said, noting that Qatar Airways also restarted its Windhoek-Doha route earlier this year in June.

According to Kamati, SAA will offer two-daily flights weekly between Windhoek and Johannesburg.

Welcoming the development, deputy minister of transport, Veikko Nekundi in a statement said the re-launch of SAA’s service between Windhoek and Johannesburg will strengthen trade and tourism while fostering the existing ties on all fronts.

“Namibia is part of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM); an initiative of the African Union to create a single unified air transport market in Africa to advance the liberalization of civil aviation in Africa and act as an impetus to the continent’s economic integration agenda. SAATM will ensure aviation plays its role in connecting Africa, promoting its social, economic, and political integration, and boosting intraAfrica trade,” he said.

Meanwhile, SAA is also scheduled to introduce new routes to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and a special schedule for Ggeberha from Johannesburg, OR Tambo International Airport.