The Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has discussed the possibility of establishing a direct flight route between Nigeria and Namibia with Humphrey Geiseb, the Namibian Ambassador to Nigeria. The discussions focused on the potential for a Nigerian carrier, XEJET, to partner with Namibia in offering direct air connectivity between the two countries.
During the meeting, Geiseb revealed that Namibia is currently in talks with Nigerian airline Air Peace about restoring direct air links. While the specifics of these discussions were not disclosed, Geiseb expressed Namibia’s interest in collaborating with Nigerian airlines to improve air travel connectivity. He highlighted the historical role of Air Namibia in connecting Lagos to Accra and facilitating travel between the two countries, although he also noted that Air Namibia had to cease operations due to financial difficulties.
Geiseb pointed out that currently, direct flights between Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, and Nigeria are not readily available, with travelers having to transit through Addis Ababa. Although there are occasional flights via TAG Airlines, these are insufficient to meet the demand for seamless travel between the two nations.
In response, Keyamo supported the idea and shared insights into the challenges involved in establishing direct flights, referencing the successful direct flight route between Algeria, Lagos, and Cameroon as an example. He suggested that XEJET, a fast-rising Nigerian domestic carrier that currently operates Air Sierra Leone, could be a potential partner for Namibia in establishing this route.
Geiseb assured Keyamo that he would engage Namibia’s Minister of Aviation to explore the possibility of strengthening aviation cooperation between the two countries. The discussion also touched on the issue of visa challenges between Nigeria and Namibia, with Keyamo urging the Ambassador to work on resolving these issues to facilitate smoother travel and enhance trade and investment opportunities between the two nations.
Both officials agreed to collaborate on these matters, aiming to improve bilateral relations and aviation ties.