Costly Boeing ‘all but gone’

AIR NAMIBIA’S flagship aircraft, the Boeing 747-400 Combi, is set to fly its last commercial flight for the national carrier on Wednesday next week.

“The aircraft is gone, there is no doubt about it,” the airline’s General Manager for Operations Andre Compion said on Friday. “Things are on track.We are just tying up loose ends,” he said.The jumbo jet which has been at the centre of the national airline’s financial woes since it was bought almost five years ago is to be sold to an as yet undisclosed buyer.Because of the sensitivity of the deal, Air Namibia has also declined to reveal details on the price at which it will be sold.A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two parties last month and Compion said the deal would be sealed when the aircraft arrived in Europe next week.Air Namibia has said that the aircraft was not being bought for use by another commercial airline and there were strong indications that in future the plane would be used for VIP purposes.When the aircraft leaves Namibia for Frankfurt for the last time next week, it will fly on to Amsterdam, in Holland, for its last maintenance check before Air Namibia hands it over to its new owner.The sale of the Boeing Combi does not include the maintenance contract Air Namibia has held with Dutch airline KLM since the plane was bought.Compion said on Friday that the termination of its relationship with KLM would be at no cost to the airline.In a week’s time, a Boeing 747-300 aircraft from South African Airways will arrive in Namibia to service the route to Germany in place of the Jumbo.Air Namibia will lease the aircraft until October, by which time it hopes to have entered into a long-term lease agreement for at least one Airbus A340-300 in accordance with its new business plan.A second Airbus aircraft will be required to reintroduce a London flight.The aircraft being leased from SAA will be able to carry about 50 more passengers than the Boeing 747-400 does at present – with a capacity of 333.Compion said that the Boeing’s large capacity for cargo had contributed greatly to the aircraft’s low revenue generation and that it was preferable to carry more passengers.”That’s why we had a problem.We are going to be overfull [with passengers] from now on.Our first priority at the moment is to guarantee continuity on the Frankfurt flight and then get London up and going,” Compion told The Namibian.Air Namibia’s management has struggled to find Airbus aircraft for lease but Compion said it was hoped that the recent global hike in fuel prices would swing in Air Namibia’s favour, as many major airlines were battling to maintain their fleets as a result.Last week the airline expanded its fleet of aircraft for regional flights, leasing a third Boeing 737 from Safair.Compion said the aircraft had already been requested for charter purposes and it was the airline’s intention to expand its routes in the sub-region.The Zambian market, he said, was being explored as a possibility.Last year, the airline introduced biweekly flights to Angola.In accordance with the Cabinet-approved business plan aimed at turning around the airline’s misfortune, of which Government remains the major shareholder, the company’s two top posts – that of Managing Director, currently held by Gernot Riedel, and Compion’s position of Operations General Manager, have been advertised.Compion said that in the more than two years the pair had run the airline company, they had never been formally appointed by the board.He confirmed to The Namibian that they both intended reapplying for their respective posts, saying they wanted to finish what they had started.”Things are on track.We are just tying up loose ends,” he said.The jumbo jet which has been at the centre of the national airline’s financial woes since it was bought almost five years ago is to be sold to an as yet undisclosed buyer.Because of the sensitivity of the deal, Air Namibia has also declined to reveal details on the price at which it will be sold.A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two parties last month and Compion said the deal would be sealed when the aircraft arrived in Europe next week.Air Namibia has said that the aircraft was not being bought for use by another commercial airline and there were strong indications that in future the plane would be used for VIP purposes.When the aircraft leaves Namibia for Frankfurt for the last time next week, it will fly on to Amsterdam, in Holland, for its last maintenance check before Air Namibia hands it over to its new owner.The sale of the Boeing Combi does not include the maintenance contract Air Namibia has held with Dutch airline KLM since the plane was bought.Compion said on Friday that the termination of its relationship with KLM would be at no cost to the airline.In a week’s time, a Boeing 747-300 aircraft from South African Airways will arrive in Namibia to service the route to Germany in place of the Jumbo.Air Namibia will lease the aircraft until October, by which time it hopes to have entered into a long-term lease agreement for at least one Airbus A340-300 in accordance with its new business plan.A second Airbus aircraft will be required to reintroduce a London flight.The aircraft being leased from SAA will be able to carry about 50 more passengers than the Boeing 747-400 does at present – with a capacity of 333.Compion said that the Boeing’s large capacity for cargo had contributed greatly to the aircraft’s low revenue generation and that it was preferable to carry more passengers.”That’s why we had a problem.We are going to be overfull [with passengers] from now on.Our first priority at the moment is to guarantee continuity on the Frankfurt flight and then get London up and going,” Compion told The Namibian.Air Namibia’s management has struggled to find Airbus aircraft for lease but Compion said it was hoped that the recent global hike in fuel prices would swing in Air Namibia’s favour, as many major airlines were battling to maintain their fleets as a result.Last week the airline expanded its fleet of aircraft for regional flights, leasing a third Boeing 737 from Safair.Compion said the aircraft had already been requested for charter purposes and it was the airline’s intention to expand its routes in the sub-region.The Zambian market, he said, was being explored as a possibility.Last year, the airline introduced biweekly flights to Angola.In accordance with the Cabinet-approved business plan aimed at turning around the airline’s misfortune, of which Government remains the major shareholder, the company’s two top posts – that of Managing Director, currently held by Gernot Riedel, and Compion’s position of Operations General Manager, have been advertised.Compion said that in the more than two years the pair had run the airline company, they had never been formally appointed by the board.He confirmed to The Namibian that they both intended reapplying for their respective posts, saying they wanted to finish what they had started.