Plans by Namibia's ruling South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) to revive bankrupt Air Namibia have drawn criticism from an opposition politician who says the move does not make economic sense, the newspaper New Era reports.

This follows a recently released implementation plan for SWAPO's 2024 election manifesto, which calls for the revival of "the national airline under very well thought-out strategies to avoid pitfalls of the past."

In February, the Namibian cabinet endorsed the incorporation of the SWAPO manifesto into government policies, with implementation scheduled to begin on April 1, 2025, reported the country's One Africa television station.

However, New Era reports that Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament Maximalliant Katjimune has criticised the plan: "It is deeply concerning that this plan seems fixated on reviving a national airline, which we clearly cannot afford and do not need at this time." He argued that government resources should be spent on more pressing socioeconomic issues.

The Namibian government voluntarily liquidated Air Namibia in March 2021 following years of losses and mismanagement. The government had spent NAD9 billion Namibian dollars (USD495 million) on bailing out the airline in the preceding decade.

A South African logistics broker unsuccessfully attempted to buy the bankruptcy estate in September 2022.

In December 2022, SWAPO's national congress directed the government to revive the national carrier to provide regional connectivity and bring tourists to the country. In 2023, the late President Hage Geingob engaged with Ethiopian Airlines to explore how the carrier could assist the government in reviving Air Namibia, claiming that Emirates had also expressed interest.

Meanwhile, startup Fly Etosha (Windhoek Eros) attempted to replace the national carrier but failed. In January 2024, the government denied any immediate plans while not ruling out the establishment of a smaller regional airline.

FlyNamibia (WV, Windhoek Eros), majority owned by charter carrier Westair Aviation (WAA, Windhoek Eros) with 40% held by Airlink (South Africa), is currently the only Namibian-based scheduled passenger airline. It operates with a E135/E145 fleet leased from Westair.