Namibia and Botswana are planning to establish a joint airline backed by a strategic partner, Botswana’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has confirmed.
In a statement on social media, the ministry said the idea was first proposed by the two countries’ heads of state, Botswana's President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Namibian President Duma Gideon Boko, during a bi-national commission held in Namibia in 2025.
"The airline will cement our relationship in the transport sector, connect Windhoek International and Gaborone directly to each other and to key regional and international destinations. Just as we lay rail across the Kalahari Desert, we will also lay flight paths across African skies together," the ministry said.
Separately, the Windhoek Observer newspaper reported that the Namibian government is moving ahead with plans to launch a new national carrier, Namibia Air, before the end of 2026. It cited Emma Theofelus, the country's information minister, as saying the process is underway and that the airline will be a new entity, not a revival of defunct Air Namibia.
She said a technical team is reviewing operating models, including potential partnerships with international carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines, and will submit recommendations to the line minister before the Cabinet makes a final decision. No launch date has been set.
Air Namibia was liquidated in 2021 after accumulating NAD3 billion Nambian dollars (USD183 million) in debt, including government-backed liabilities of NAD2.58 billion (USD157.5 million).
Air Botswana (BP, Gaborone), meanwhile, is operational but financially distressed and undergoing restructuring. In November 2025, it scrapped three unprofitable routes, including Gaborone-Windhoek, after they generated about USD3.3 million in losses over nine months.
A new board has been appointed to expedite the turnaround. The strategy includes expanding charter operations and leasing, developing travel packages, expanding the maintenance and repair facility, undertaking a feasibility study for cargo operations, and restructuring the airline.
Air Botswana currently operates with three company-owned aircraft: two ATR72-600s and one E175.
