Diplomacy
Namibia Dismisses Leaked Memo on Ethiopian Airlines Running Planned Carrier
Addis Fortune · 3 hours ago · Read the Full Story on Addis Fortune
AI SUMMARY
Namibia has dismissed a leaked memo detailing proposed Ethiopian Airlines executive control over its new national carrier as unauthorized, while the opposition warns the terms compromise aviation sovereignty.
- Namibia's Ministry of Works & Transport dismissed a leaked memo regarding Ethiopian Airlines running its planned carrier as unauthorised and an inaccurate representation.
- The ministry stated that talks with Ethiopian Airlines remain exploratory with no binding commitments on either side.
- The leaked memo revealed that Ethiopian sought the right to appoint top executives, including the chief executive, chief financial officer, and heads of maintenance and operations.
- Any future equity stake by Ethiopian Airlines would be conditional on securing full management control and a viable business plan.
- Ethiopian Airlines reportedly proposed three leased ATR 72-600 turboprops and a single daily Johannesburg route.
- Namibia's published plan comprised Embraer jets and services to Cape Town and Luanda.
- The planned carrier is the state-backed successor to Air Namibia, which collapsed in February 2021 with liabilities of about 247 million dollars after over 600 million dollars in bailouts.
- Namibia's main parliamentary opposition, the Independent Patriots for Change, accused the government of compromising aviation sovereignty and sidelined local professionals.
- The opposition called on the transport minister to suspend talks on outsourcing senior posts and reconsider the December 2026 launch target.
- Ethiopian Airlines reported 9.1 billion dollars in revenue and 20.7 million passengers in the 2025/26 fiscal year, with existing continental partnerships in Togo, Malawi, Zambia, and the DRC.
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