Air Namibia: Namibia's National Airline

Air Namibia is the national airline of the country of Namibia in southern Africa, and it takes both passengers and cargo to 36 different destinations. The business headquarters is located in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. The company was originally founded in 1946 and was known at that time as South West Air Transport. There were a number of changes and developments over the years that followed, such as the government becoming the majority shareholder in 1982, and in 1991 the name changed to Air Namibia.

Today the airline is wholly owned by the government and is a positive contributor to the national economy. There are approximately 700 employees working for the airline. The fleet consists of 10 aircraft, four of which are Airbus 330-200, and there are daily routes to Frankfurt, with onward flights to the rest of Europe. The largest routes take the airline to Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, and there are plans for routes to North America soon. In addition there are domestic flights to eight different cities available on the smaller 37-seater aircraft.

Passenger class and frequent flyers

On the Airbus A330-200 aircraft, there are economy class seats and business class seats. In economy the seats have a regular 31 inch pitch with personal TV screens in the backs of the seats in front. Business class is towards the front of the plane, and the seats are in a two-two-two layout with lie-flat capability.

Air Namibia operates a frequent-flyer programme called 'Reward$'. There are three tiers (silver, gold and platinum), which have benefits attached like airport lounge access. Miles can be exchanged for free flights or for discounts. Miles expire after five years if they are not used.

Check-in and luggage information

Check-in can be done online, with eTickets and boarding passes available for self-printing. At some airports, such as Frankfurt, Johannesburg and Cape Town, there is a self-service bag drop on offer. If you prefer to check-in at the desk at the airport, this option is available too.

• 1 piece of hand luggage is permitted per person in economy
• 2 pieces of hand luggage are permitted per person in business
• Hand luggage must be lighter than 8 kg and smaller than 55 x 38 x 20 cm
• In addition, passengers may carry a coat, hand bag, small laptop or umbrella
• Allowances for checked luggage to European destinations is 2 X 32 kg for business and 1 x 23 kg for economy