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Namibia

Namibia is a large country geographically but has a population of just 2,534 million to cover the 825,615 km2 land area, 19 times larger than Denmark’s. Namibia is keen on spearheading greener aviation. The Namibian Government has the responsibility for the provision of Air Traffic Services in Namibia, and the largest airline Air Namibia is a state owned enterprise. The Directorate of Civil Aviation (DCA) under the Ministry of Works and Transport (MWT) provides air navigations services on behalf of the government. In the past few years, the Namibian government has made progress with the implementation of several initiatives to reduce the CO2 emissions in aviation such as investment in new aircraft technology, more efficient operations, airports improvements, air traffic management and infrastructure use1.

Air Namibia has also implemented various initiatives in improving its fuel efficiency and reducing its carbon footprint. Among other weight reduction measures include potable water tanks being filled to 50% tank capacity. The airline is positioned as a niche carrier serving domestic points within Namibia and the immediate regional markets of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia and Botswana. However, the airline also serves the entire European network through Frankfurt. In 2017, Air Namibia completed the crucial International Civil Aviation Organisation re-certification audit process that started back in 2013. The airline recently got approved to fly to the US and can also fly to any EU member state. The airline is heavily subsidised, but according to government calculations, the airline has a positive net contribution to the economy, by increasing employment in Namibia and the infrastructure benefits and visitors carried into the country contributing to the economy1.

Other airlines flying in or to Namibia include Qatar Airways, British Airways, South African Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings, TAAG Angola, Airlink, Condor, South African Express (Pty) Ltd, Namibia Commercial Aviation and the small tourist airline Scenic Air Namibia.

Namibia has 32 airports, the biggest one is Hosea Kutako International Airport placed outside the capital Windhoek. The airport handles 800,000 passengers and more than 14,900 aircraft movements annually. The airport recently build improvements of their terminals and several more projects are to come2.

Key projects in Namibia
Hosea Kutako International Airport:

  • Develop and upgrade infrastructure and facilities to increase Hosea Kutako Airport's capacity and the variety and quality of service.
  • Develop a hotel as part of the main airport attraction.
  • Expansion of the terminal building, in-flight kitchen, cargo facilities, and conference facilities are additional projects envisaged by the Namibia Airport Company as immediate and future prospects.

Green development in the aviation sector
The Government of Namibia is committed to the sustainable development of the aviation sector and to the continued efforts to protect the environment of the country, which is prone to climate change. All the initiatives currently implemented, as well as the Aviation Emissions Working Group (AEWG), reflect and reiterate the commitment of the Government to assist the national airline and aviation sector in their efforts to reduce fuel burn and carbon missions.

Sources
1 International Civil Aviation Organization and Namibian Ministry of Works and Transport, ‘NAMIBIA, Action Plan For Co2 Emissions Reduction In International Aviation’, September 2016
2 Namibian Airport Company 2018

Updated: 02.12.2018