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becomes the 12th airline to introduce flights to Harare.
On arrival, the 37-seater single-class plane which had 22 paying customers on board, received the traditional water cannon salute reserved for planes making their inaugural flights into the country.
The plane returned with 18 paying customers.
Apart from the paying customers, there were also a number of dignitaries on board, including the Namibian Ministry of Public Works and Transport permanent secretary, Mr George Simataa, Zimbabwean Ambassador to Namibia Ms Chipo Zindoga and Air Namibia’s general manager commercial services Mr Xavier Masule.
The Namibian delegation was received by Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development permanent secretary Partson Mbiriri, Ministry of
Public Works permanent secretary Engineer George Mlilo and Namibian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Panduleni-Kaino Shinenge.
Mr Mbiriri welcomed the return of Air Namibia to Zimbabwe, saying it was a sign of the deepening bilateral ties and economic relations between the two countries.
“I believe that the Harare route will offer a lot of business to Air Namibia just as it is doing for other airlines flying into the country,” he said.
MR Mbiriri said Namibia was keen to increase co-operation with Zimbabwe in other spheres — exchange of personnel and establishment of an optic fibre link between the two countries, among others.
“The Namibian government is so keen on this project that their optic fibre is already in the Caprivi Strip and the ball is now in our court. We hope to reciprocate this gesture,” he said.
Mr Simataa said he was impressed by the welcome they received which he said was “truly African”.
He said the interconnectivity between the two countries should be fully exploited by the business community.
“We hope that this interconnectivity will enable our bilateral relations to continue to deepen,” he said.
Ambassador Zindoga said the relaunching of the route was “very significant” for Zimbabwe as it increased capacity, connectivity and choice as the country strives to consolidate its economic recovery through trade, tourism and investment.
“It is a welcome development as Namibia becomes a hub for regional integration,” she said.
She added the return of Air Namibia had come at the right time as it coincided with preparation for the hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly in Victoria Falls in August next year.
Ambassador Zindoga said there was need for more joint tourism packages between the two countries with emphasis on other tourist attractions in Zimbabwe other than the Victoria Falls — the mystical Eastern Highlands, Lake Kariba, Matopos, Chinhoyi Caves and Great Zimbabwe.
Dr Shingenge said the direct fight between Harare and Windhoek should contribute to an increase in business contacts and activities.
On trade, she said the direct flight would allow physical links with the port of Walvis Bay in Namibia, thus opening up new and exciting business opportunities.
Mr Masule said the Windhoek-Harare route was economically viable as it was not only targeting passengers bound for Namibia but also those connecting to other destinations in Africa and abroad.
He said the Embraer ERJ-135 was just a route opener and a much bigger plane, a 112-seater Airbus 319, would replace it when demand picked up.
Meanwhile, the welcome ceremony also included the signing of an MoU on the secondment of professionals from Zimbabwe to Namibia.
Engineer Mlilo signed the MoU on behalf of Zimbabwe while his counterpart Mr Simataa signed on behalf of Namibia.
Speaking soon after the signing, Engineer Mlilo said his ministry would be sending 36 professionals to Namibia. These include 15 quantity surveyors, three architects and 18 engineers.
“I will be sending the first batch of professionals next month starting with engineers,” he said.
Mr Simataa said the professionals are expected to help the Namibian government to implement capital projects worth of US dollars that have been on the cards over the past three years.
Online Reporter