Air Namibia set to launch Windhoek-Lagos-Accra route
Air Namibia is gearing up to launch the Windhoek-Lagos-Accra route, commencing on 29 June 2018.
This new route will provide a direct connection between Namibia and West African countries. This new service operates four times a week (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Friday from Windhoek) providing a smooth and convenient connections inbound and outbound to the airline’s regional flights, connecting West Africa via Windhoek to and from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Luanda, Harare, Lusaka, Vic Falls, Gaborone Walvis Bay, Durban and beyond.
The routing will be Windhoek-Lagos-Accra, and the return will be Accra- Lagos-Windhoek. The operation will further transport passengers and cargo on the Lagos-Accra-Lagos leg, utilizing the fifth freedom traffic rights granted by the Ghanaian and Nigerian Governments, as contained in the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreements.
Air Namibia anticipates closing a gap in the market by competitively connecting Southern Africa to West Africa within less than 6 hours.
“This much needed service gives our passengers a better alternative travel option, reducing travel times between Namibia and West Africa by more than 60%. We are happy to introduce our Award Winning Service in this market and we are already receiving positive feedback on the launch of this new route,” said Mandi Samson, AirNamibia’s Acting Managing Director. She continued: “The operation fits within our existing capacity in terms of aircraft and crew, improving the utilization rates of these resources while increasing revenue generating opportunities. Especially as it means we are entering Africa’s largest regional air travel market.”
Air Namibia recently appointed APG Network as sales representatives in both Nigeria and Ghana to provide full sales and marketing services, as well as call centre and customer care services on behalf of Air Namibia in the two countries.
Juanita Klassen, Air Namibia’s Manager for GSA and Offline Markets at the time said: “We are happy for having established this relationship with the APG Network, as we can use their extensive experience in the field of aviation as a key global player in the airline distribution environment, offering outsourced services such as passenger sales and marketing, reservations, Air Namibia can benefit and is positioned to make its West Africa operations a success.”
The move by Air Namibia to breathe new life into these two new routes is welcomed by both the Ghanaian and Nigeria communities. Former High Commissioner of Ghana to Namibia and Botswana, Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Harruna Attah had the following to say: “Namibia is a great
Air Namibia will service this new route with the Airbus A319, offering a seat configuration of 16 Business Class and 96 Economy Class seats and offer two tons of cargo space.
Air Namibia brings to West Africa, its Award Winning Service, which is recognized by many and having won the “Feather Awards” as the best Regional Airline of Southern Africa more than 10 times over the past 15 years. The airline also scooped second place as Africa’s best regional airline in 2016 and 2017 by Skytrax Airline Awards.
The airline operates a fleet carefully selected to meet performance dependability and comfort. All its 10 aircraft (2 x Airbus A330-200, 4 x Airbus A319-100, 4 x Embraer ERJ 135) provide immense comfort offered by the generous legroom and modern interiors.
