Cash-strapped Air Namibia rescued

Aircraft leased from Swiss Air LEONARD NEILL A MIDDLE-EASTERN Royal family has come to the rescue of cash-strapped Air Namibia. They have purchased the airline’s Boeing 747-400 Combi that has been the main source of its financial problems in recent years. The aircraft was sold to them last month and is currently undergoing a maintenance check at the manufacturer’s headquarters prior to being handed to them for VIP use. Paying off the debt incurred by the Boeing’s purchase has kept Air Namibia heavily in the red in recent years. Now, to maintain its European service, the airline has leased a McDonnell Douglas 11 from Swiss Air, which will be used to fly the Frankfurt-Windhoek route until the end of next year. The leased aircraft touched down in Windhoek on September 1 on its first southbound flight.