Air Namibia yesterday announced three new regional routes that will come into operation on May 15. The third route is to Ondjiva in Angola.
Acting managing director Theo Namases said the new routes are part of the national airline's new business strategy for 2011 to 2016 which aims to make Air Namibia profitable in five years' time.
"One major aim of the new business plan is to improve Air Namibia's operations, to decrease our dependency on Government and prove to the Namibian nation that Air Namibia has reason for existing," Namases said.
According to Namases the flight times are structured in such a way that business people can make a return trip on the same day. One major benefit of the new routes, especially those to Harare and Gaborone, is that passengers travelling from Windhoek no longer have to travel via Johannesburg as is currently the case.
Namases said Air Namibia has taken a zero-tolerance approach to flight delays and cancellations.
Works and Transport Minister Erkki Nghimtina said that after the delivery of new aircraft which Air Namibia announced late last year and the introduction of the new routes, the national airline is expected to deliver a high standard of service to each of its passengers. Nghimtina called the introduction of the new routes timely and said it will help to translate into reality the "tremendous interest" which has been shown in the SADC region by the outside world.
Nghimtina said "Air Namibia must operate as a commercially viable airline" even though it is in a very competitive and volatile environment.
He wants the company to manage its finances prudently to ensure that the investment made into the national airline "does not go to waste".
Nghimtina said the introduction of more flights to Namibia and its neighbours will ensure the strengthening of political and economic ties between these countries.
Botswana high commissioner to Namibia Duke Lefhoko said Air Namibia is "implementing the talk of regional integration" and commended the national airline for this.