WDH Airport - Downgrade auf Kategorie 5

Air Namibia hereby informs its esteemed clients and all relevant stakeholders that following an audit by the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DCA) on Namibia Airports Company’s facilities, Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport has been downgraded from Category 9 to Category 5 effective 22rd July 2014.

As part of Air Namibia’s contingency plan, its SW 285 and SW 286, will divert to Gaborone, Botswana.

Consequently, Air Namibia’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft used on the long haul flights to Frankfurt which require a Category 8 airport for landing and take-off, will not be authorized to operate into and out of Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport with immediate effect. It is expected that Namibia Airports Company will execute and rectify the respective shortcomings, which will result in the international airport being upgraded to Category 9 in timely fashion. Normal operations of the A330-200 aircraft into/out of the Hosea Kutako International Airport will be communicated in due course.

To minimise the impact of the inconvenience caused to passengers as a result of the NAC’s shortcomings, Air Namibia has in the meantime initiated the following:

• Flight SW 286 from Frankfurt to Windhoek on 23rd July 2014 will be diverted to land at Gaborone in Botswana on the morning of 24th July 2014.
• Flight SW 285 from Windhoek to Frankfurt scheduled to depart on 23rd July 2014 was cancelled. Affected passengers will be ferried to Gaborone in Botswana on the morning of 24th July 2014 from where they will board our flight to Frankfurt on the same morning. All affected passengers will be required to be at Hosea Kutako Airport in time for departure of the ferry flight to Gaborone at 04:00 (local time).
• Passengers arriving on SW 286 at Gaborone from Frankfurt on the morning of 24th July 2014 will be ferried from Gaborone to Windhoek the same morning using two of Air Namibia’s Airbus A319-100 aircraft.

Once again, Air Namibia apologizes to all affected passengers and related stakeholders for the inconveniences caused by this unfortunate situation.

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The recent ICAO audit on Namibia Airports Company facilities at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport resulted in the downgrade of the airport from a category 9 to a category 5 airport. The downgrade of Hosea Kutako Airport has affected all aircraft requiring category 7 and higher rescue and fire-fighting services.

In response to the downgrade, Air Namibia applied to be granted exemption in order to continue its Airbus A330 operations, which exemption was granted on 24th July 2014. However, today’s review by ICAO has re-enforced the downgrade and has revoked any exemptions that might have been granted.

As a result, Air Namibia can no longer operate the A330-200 fleet in or out of Hosea Kutako Airport until such time that Namibia Airports Company has rectified the shortcomings to the satisfaction of ICAO.

Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport is owned, operated and managed by Namibia Airports Company. Air Namibia, like other airlines operating into this airport with larger aircraft will be negatively impacted by this development.

To minimise the impact of the inconvenience caused to passengers as a result of the NAC’s shortcomings, Air Namibia has in the meantime initiated the following:

• Flight SW 285 from Windhoek to Frankfurt scheduled to depart on 30th July 2014 will operate from Lusaka . Affected passengers will be flown to Lusaka with two A319- 100’s this evening to further proceed with the ferried A330.
• Flight SW 286 from Frankfurt to Windhoek on 31st July 2014 will divert to Lusaka and passengers will be flown to Windhoek in the morning using the two A319-100.

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