Namibia delighted with increase in air travellers

The 'Air Connect Namibia' initiative is celebrating its first successes. The number of air passengers on its international airports rose significantly last year, the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) announced. There were also more and more flight connections to international destinations.

Passenger traffic increased by eleven percent from January to October 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year. This is according to the latest statistics from NAC. In 2024, the international airports near Windhoek and at Walvis Bay registered over one million passengers - eleven percent more than in 2023.

NAC attributes the growth primarily to the expansion of flight connections through the 'Air Connect Namibia' initiative. In 2023, ten international destinations were served from Namibia's airports. By mid-2026, this number is expected to rise to 17 destinations.

'Air Connect Namibia' had welcomed new or expanded services since its founding two years ago. These include regional flights such as Lusaka - Livingstone - Windhoek (starting in March), Cape Town - Windhoek, Johannesburg - Windhoek, Johannesburg - Walvis Bay and Luanda - Windhoek.

Furthermore, new non-stop flights operated by Lufthansa subsidiaries Discover Airlines and Edelweiss have been added. In April 2025, Discover started to also fly from Munich to Windhoek (see report on Namibian.org). Edelweiss will offer non-stop flights from Zurich to Windhoek from June to October (see report on Namibian.org).

The overall increase is estimated at more than 120,000 seats per year.

In its media release, the NAC also mentioned the 'AviaDev Africa' 2024 conference. It attracted more than 500 attendees and was successfully hosted by 'Air Connect Namibia'. Representatives from 36 airlines and 46 countries participated.

Eight partners for more flight connections

The 'Air Connect Namibia' initiative aims to improve air travel accessibility to the country. In addition to the lead organisation, NAC, the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations (FENATA), and the Gondwana Collection are also involved.

Further cooperation partners are the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG), and the City of Windhoek. More information is available on the NAC website.

Namibia's international airports, such as Hosea Kutako International Airport shown here, are registering a growing number of passengers. Photo: Sven-Eric Stender