Ethiopian Airlines has resumed its flights to Namibia's capital Windhoek this week. Ethiopian's flight to Namibia's Hosea Kutako International Airport last week was the first international arrival to the destination since the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, carrying 43 passengers and 11 crew members.
Leake Hangala (Dr.), Chairperson of the Namibia Airports Company, said it serves to show "that airports are engines of economic growth, wealth and employment creation."
Dr. Hanglaa also said other airlines such as Air Namibia, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and others are expected to follow suit since the resumption of Ethiopian's flights to Windhoek.
"This will positively increase passenger movements which will contribute meaningfully to the economic activities at the airport and the tourism industry in line with the objectives of the tourism revival initiative," he said.
Tsige Gebresilassie, Area Manager for Ethiopian Airlines, for her part, said Windhoek is among the 62 destinations in Africa Ethiopian has been serving.
"We are very much grateful to the government of Namibia for giving us permission to reinstate the passenger services and we prefer to keep our scheduled flights intact and hope the government will continue its support to create a conducive environment."
Since launching its first flight to Windhoek in 2016, Ethiopian Airlines, the largest carrier in Africa, has been providing four weekly passenger services connecting Namibia to various countries in Africa and the rest of the world.
Source: Namibia Economist
