The Ambassador of Namibia to Nigeria, Humphrey Geiseb has expressed his country’s desire to partner with Nigerian airlines to restore direct connectivity.
He added that talks are currently ongoing with Air Peace in that regard.
Geiseb disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
The discussion revolved around existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Namibia and potential collaborations to enhance aviation connectivity between the two nations.
However, he encouraged the minister to engage with domestic airlines to explore potential collaboration opportunities.
Geiseb highlighted the historical importance of Air Namibia’s operations between the two countries, noting that the national carrier previously connected Lagos to Accra and played a key role in facilitating travel between Namibia and Nigeria.
Unfortunately, he said, Air Namibia faced financial difficulties and was eventually forced to cease operations following a government bailout.
Geiseb emphasised that currently, it remains challenging to directly connect Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, with Nigeria, with travelers having to transit through Addis Ababa.
“While there are occasional flights via TAG Airlines, they are not frequent enough to meet the demand for seamless travel between the two nations.”
Geiseb assured the Keyamo that he would engage his counterpart, Namibia’s Minister of Aviation to arrange a possible visit to further strengthen the aviation cooperation between both countries.
Responding, Keyamo expressed his support and shared a personal experience regarding the challenges of establishing direct flights in the region.
He referenced the successful Algeria/Lagos/Cameroon flight route, which was initiated after the Algerian Ambassador proposed a direct connection, despite the close proximity between Nigeria and Cameroon.
The minister also mentioned that one of Nigeria’s fast-rising domestic carriers, Xejet, which currently operates Sierra Leone’s national carrier, Air Sierra Leone, could be a potential partner in this venture.
Keyamo raised the issue of the visa challenges between Nigeria and Namibia, recalling his own recent difficulties obtaining a visa despite holding a diplomatic passport.
He urged the Ambassador to work towards resolving these issues to facilitate smoother travel and to open doors for more trade and investment relations between the two countries.