Air Namibia, the national carrier of Namibia has suspended its operations on the Windhoek – Lagos – Accra route following a diplomatic impasse between Namibia and Nigeria.
The decision to suspend operations is the second time after its first exit in 2014.
The Namibian High Commissioner to Ghana, Charles Jacob made the announcement in Accra, when he paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda.
Why the Suspension
The suspension of the flight operations is due to the refusal of the Nigerian High Commission in Windhoek to grant visas to Namibians.
The High Commissioner stated that “the airline is running at a loss on the Windhoek-Lagos-Accra route because of the refusal of Nigeria to issue visas to Namibians since March this year”
He added that although Air Namibia had been operating at 50% of full capacity for a while, the development caused a breakdown in operations.
Background
The first time the Airline exited the Ghanaian market was in 2014 due to the absence of a visa-issuing office in Ghana which led to a decline in passenger volumes.
However, in February 2018, the airline made a return with a Windhoek – Lagos – Accra route having set up a consulate office in Accra.
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The Commissioner additionally noted that they will be considering alternative solutions to have the airline back. by getting first freedom right for Windhoek-Accra-London route.
