Key Highlights
- FlyAngola increases service to six weekly flights from Windhoek, Namibia to Angola.
- New route launched from Windhoek to Lubango, in addition to Benguela (3x/week) and Luanda (2x/week).
- Part of the Air Connect Namibia project, aimed at boosting tourism, trade, and foreign investment.
- Project partners include Namibia Tourism Board, Namibia Airports Company, NCCI, NIPDB, Walvis Bay Corridor Group, and the City of Windhoek.
- Tourism sector support cited as key to route expansion; over 112,000 Angolans visited Namibia in 2023.
- FlyAngola’s growth aligns with Namibia Airports Company’s strategic air service development goals.
- Airline background: FlyAngola was established in 2018 and launched its first international route in December 2024.
FlyAngola has increased flights from the Namibian capital, Windhoek to Angolan cities to six per week. The airline will now fly to Benguela three times a week, Luanda twice a week, and once a week to Lubango.
This follows a partnership between the Namibia Tourism Board, FlyAngola and Air Connect Namibia, which is a project run by the Namibia Airports Company. The latest flight will be from the Namibian capital to Lubango in southern Angola.
The Air Connect Namibia project was launched in 2024 by the airports company in a bid to boost tourism, trade, and foreign investment.
The project aims to significantly increase direct air access to Namibia from around the world, with an initial focus on Hosea Kutako International Airport.
The Air Connect Namibia project seeks to improve the country’s overall competitiveness by attracting foreign direct investment and stimulating economic growth. Members of the project also include the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the Walvis Bay Corridor Group, Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), and the City of Windhoek.
Barbara Snyders-Bock, manager of Business Development and Operations at the Namibia Tourism Board, wants the Namibian tourism and business community to work together in maximising the benefits of the service route.
Snyders-Bock said the support of the Namibian business community and the travel and tourism industry partners made it possible for the launch of the Windhoek-Lubango flight by FlyAngola.
Angola and Namibia have close economic, political and cultural ties, and officials believe that FlyAngola’s new route represents a vital link that enhances the movement of people, trade, and ideas. For the Namibian tourism industry, which mostly caters for the European and South African markets, flights to Angola open doors to expanded tourism, investment and market access, while reinforcing cultural and economic ties with Angola.
Namibia Airports Company executive for airports operations, Leonard Shipuata said the company is committed to advancing air service development in support of national economic objectives and creating and supporting an enabling environment where airlines such as FlyAngola can succeed and prosper.
Fly Angola was founded in August 2018 by a group of Angolan businessmen to boost safe air traffic for passengers and cargo, and boost the Angolan economy. The airline first launched its first international route from Benguela to Windhoek on 21 December 2024.
Belarnício Muangala, CEO of FlyAngola, believes that the flights to Angola will bring tourists from Namibia to Angola. In the 2023 tourist statistical report, the Namibian tourism ministry said 112,336 Angolans visited Namibia that year.
