Namibia plans to take over air traffic services over the Namibian oceanic airspace and the airspace south of 273000 degrees from South Africa, Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi has disclosed. Namibia’s coastline is 1572 km long, and the border between Namibia and South Africa is 967 km long.
Nekundi said the Civil Aviation Air Navigation Services (NCAA) requires the utilisation of sophisticated equipment like the RADAR (primary and secondary), Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) and Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems.
The NCAA has a mandate to regulate and oversee the safety and security system within Namibia and to provide safe and reliable air navigation services. Its key role is to conduct the safety and security regulation of civil air operations in Namibia’s airspace and to provide air navigation services to all airspace users.
The Works and Transport Ministry is also responsible for the construction and rehabilitation of state-owned aerodromes. Nekundi said in terms of aircraft accident and incident Investigations, Namibia needs to upgrade its capabilities to fulfil the state’s obligations towards the Civil Aviation Act and the Chicago Convention, to which Namibia is a signatory, in compliance with the Civil Aviation Act and the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Nekundi said Namibia underwent a successful International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), where DAAII achieved a score of 79.1%, which is higher than the ICAO and NDP 5 target of 75%. The certification was the result of the implementation of improved regulatory compliance and safety measures.
The audit scrutinised the performance of the Hosea Kutako International Airport and the Walvis Bay International Airport. The areas covered by the audit included air navigation services, aircraft accident and incident investigation, aerodrome and ground aids, airworthiness of aircraft, flight operations, and personnel licensing.
The Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme, under which this evaluation was conducted, plays a crucial role in assessing and enhancing the aviation sector’s oversight capabilities.
The ministry has requested an amount of N$14 million in the 2025/2026 budget to be allocated to the Aircraft Accident Investigations sub-programme. The ministry further requested N$562 million to be allocated to the sub-programme, Civil Aviation Air Navigation Services.
