Aviation History
Namibian commercial aviation traces back to South West Air Transport, founded in 1946, which evolved through several mergers into Namib Air in 1978 and was renamed Air Namibia after independence in 1991. Air Namibia grew into a full international carrier flying to Frankfurt and London, but decades of losses and mounting state subsidies forced the government to shut it down and liquidate it in February 2021. A successor, Namibia Air, is being established with an anticipated 2026 launch, though the timeline for actual commencement of service has not been finalized.
SWAT was established as the territory's earliest airline, later beginning Ryan Navion services linking Windhoek and Grootfontein in 1949.
Following earlier mergers (including with Oryx Aviation to form South West Airways in 1959), the carrier was reorganized as Namib Air.
Namib Air began jet operations in August 1989 with a leased Boeing 737 flying Windhoek–Johannesburg.
Following Namibian independence, the carrier adopted the Air Namibia name in October 1991 and expanded to European routes such as Frankfurt and London using a Boeing 747SP.
The airline added a Boeing 747-400 Combi, named after Namibia's iconic desert plant, to serve its long-haul European network.
On 11 February 2021 the government announced the immediate shutdown and liquidation of Air Namibia after its liabilities (about N$3 billion) far exceeded its assets; the shutdown cost an estimated US$453 million after some N$11 billion in cumulative government support.
The government has been establishing a new national carrier, Namibia Air, with service anticipated to begin sometime in 2026 — a plan that, as with prior state-airline efforts, remains subject to delay.
Air Namibia (defunct 2021) · Westair Aviation · Namibia Commercial Aviation · Namibia Air (planned, not yet operating)
Wikipedia, Namibian government and press statements, aviation trade press