Regional airports not making profit – NAC

Namibia’s regional airports continue to operate at a loss despite ongoing investment in their maintenance and development. Namibia Airports Company (NAC) spokesperson Dan Kamati says the Ondangwa, Rundu, Lüderitz, Keetmanshoop and Katima Mulilo airports remain unprofitable. “Regional airports in Namibia are all operating at a loss. Hosea Kutako International Airport is the only one operating at a profit, with Walvis Bay being the closest to breaking even,” he says. The NAC spent N$13.2 million on airport maintenance during the 2024/25 financial year and has increased its maintenance budget to N$20 million for the 2025/26 financial year. This, Kamati says, remains insufficient to maintain airport infrastructure across the country. “We recognise that N$20 million is 1% of the NAC balance sheet and is insufficient to maintain the underlying assets, which currently depreciate at around 7.2% annually,” Kamati says. He says improvements are underway at some of the regional airports. “There has been progress – from the upgrade to the Katima Mulilo runway to the recently upgraded paving at Katima Mulilo. Further renovations to the terminal building will commence shortly. There will be meaningful improvements to the Katima airport in the next three months,” he says. The continued losses come amid low passenger numbers at some regional airports. Passenger statistics released by the NAC show Ondangwa’s airport remained the busiest regional facility in 2025 with 23 960 passengers, followed by Lüderitz with 16 060 passengers and Katima Mulilo with 3 342. Rundu recorded 843 passengers during the same period, while Keetmanshoop recorded 541. Figures for the first three months of 2026 show Ondangwa handled 4 718 passengers, Lüderitz 1 444, Katima Mulilo 1 291, Keetmanshoop 336 and Rundu 117. ATTRACTING INVESTMENT Economist Klaus Schade says while the financial viability of maintaining regional airports can be questioned, the infrastructure remains important for economic development. “Is it really viable to maintain all these airports?” he asks. Schade says airports reduce travel times and improve access to regions far from Namibia’s main economic centres. “These airports reduce travelling time, travelling costs even, and also increase the safety of travelling,” he says. Schade says the facilities also help attract investment. “Without this infrastructure it is even more challenging to attract investment to the regions because of the long distances to travel and to do business,” he says. According to FlyNamibia’s flight schedule, Ondangwa currently receives two scheduled flights from Windhoek on most days of the week, while the Katima Mulilo airport is served four times a week via Maun. Lüderitz receives daily flights from Windhoek. The airline’s published schedule shows flights between Windhoek and Ondangwa operating on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays in the morning, with additional afternoon services operating on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Katima Mulilo is served on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while Lüderitz has daily services throughout the week. FlyNamibia also operates a daily international service between Walvis Bay and Cape Town. Schade says Namibia should focus on attracting additional traffic to regional airports. “We certainly need to put efforts in attracting more traffic to these airports and maybe increase or expand these airports to international airports so they can also attract flights from neighbouring countries,” he says. The NAC says it is pursuing that objective through airline incentive programmes and route development initiatives aimed at attracting more domestic, regional and international flights. The company is also looking to reposition airports according to regional economic activities, with Rundu and Katima Mulilo earmarked for tourism growth and Lüderitz expected to support developments in the oil, gas and fishing sectors. The post Regional airports not making profit – NAC appeared first on The Namibian .