Government red tape delays launch of Airlink’s Namibia service

Moving cargo to and from Namibia is high on the agenda for Airlink Cargo, but as the airline has yet to be issued with a foreign operator’s permit its planes remain grounded. Airlink Cargo was allocated route rights from Johannesburg to Windhoek for seven flights a week at the end of October, but as the permit has not been issued the airline has not been able to launch its new service. According to Airlink Cargo CEO, Alwyn Rautenbach, a dedicated freighter aircraft concentrating on the express market and connecting interline freight will service the route. “As an airline we have no influence on the process around the issuing of permits. This is handled at governmental level. There is no time line as to when we will have a permit or when we can institute the service between South Africa and Namibia,” he said. Airlink Cargo successfully services SA domestic routes as well as several southern African countries including Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Mozambique. The airline is set to introduce its daily service to Botswana in June this year. “Namibia is the most obvious country we want to expand our service to,” said Rautenbach. “We believe there are major possibilities and it is high on our agenda.”