Turkish Airlines to offer passenger flights to Namibia soon

Windhoek is one of 53 new destinations Turkish Airlines plans to add to its network by the end of this year. This is reported by the South African travel news portal TravelNews, citing a roadshow presentation by the airline. The report does not say how many times a week and on which days. According to the travel agency Rennies Travel Namibia, the flights do not yet appear in the booking system.

Turkish Airlines had already started flying to Hosea Kutako International Airport near Windhoek by the end of 2020, but only for cargo flights (see communication from Namibia Airports Company, NAC). In addition, the airline had signed a code share agreement with Air Namibia in February 2017 (see report of New Era). Air Namibia went into liquidation during the Corona crisis.

It is surprising that Turkish Airlines is launching its passenger flights to Namibia in the Namibian low season of all times. Especially as Qatar Airways is discontinuing the Doha - Windhoek connection from 23 November 2023 inclusive. According to Rennies Travel Namibia, it is questionable whether this will only apply until the end of March 2024, as communicated: flights from Doha to Windhoek will also not be listed in the booking system from April 2024.

Discover Airlines had confirmed that it would maintain its ten flights a week from Frankfurt to Windhoek during the (European) winter. Ethiopean Airlines flies to Namibia seven times a week via Addis Ababa.

Sven-Eric Stender