Nigerians travelling to Namibia and Namibians coming to Nigeria are facing tough times after Air Namibia suspended operations in Nigeria last week.
The carrier on last week announced the suspension of its flight on Windhoek-Lagos-Accra routes effective from May 24 over alleged diplomatic rows between Nigeria and Namibia.
This development is coming few weeks after Namibia opened its visa desk in Lagos.
The airline which operates in Lagos four times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) has seen received patronage from both Nigerians and Namibians until the ban on issuance of Nigerian visas to Namibians by Nigerian High Commissioner to Namibia in February.
Nigerians who have bought their tickets and were supposed to travel with the airline have been transferred to South African Airlines, while those who are not interested in this arrangement have asked for refunds.
Those affected by this sudden development have had to spend more money to connect flight using South African Airlines or other airlines.
“I was supposed to travel to Namibia on 25th of May but on getting to the airport, I was informed that the flight has been suspended. They told us we can be transferred to fly South Africa Airlines but this will only cost us more time and money,” a lady who identified herself as Sandra told BusinessDay.
Wimpie van Vuuren, acting general manager, commercial services of the airline, in a statement in Abuja said the ban on issuance of Nigerian visas to Namibians by Nigerian High Commissioner to Namibia in February led to the decision to suspend the airline’s operation to Nigeria.
Vuuren said the ban could be linked to allegations that Nigerians were normally ill-treated by Namibian border control officials at Hosea Kutako International Airport when arriving or transiting through Windhoek.
He said that Air Namibia consulted various stakeholders to mitigate the diplomatic standoff, but all efforts proved futile.
According to him, the load factor performance of the route dropped from average 55 percent attained during June 2018 to January 2019 to between 35 percent and 38 percent during February to April 2019.
“Air Namibia launched the route Windhoek-Lagos-Accra at the end of June 2018. The route started off very well in terms of passenger numbers and revenue generation, and within two months the route was making a positive contribution to the airline’s route network.
“During February 2019, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Namibia banned the issuing of visa’s to Namibian passport holders. In addition, there are messages circulating in Nigeria about Namibia being ‘anti-Nigeria’, with travellers being urged to avoid visiting Namibia, as well as avoid using Windhoek as a transit point when travelling to South Africa,” he said.
BusinessDay’s checks show that attractions for Nigerians in Nambia are its tourist attractions which serve as one of its fastest growing industries providing significant employment opportunities.
With a population of 2.4 million people, Namibia enjoys the status of a nature-based tourism destination. The country enjoys a wide variety of wildlife, the world’s oldest desert, the world’s tallest sand dunes as well as community-based nature conservancies.
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