1. What have been your accomplishments within the Civil Aviation Authority and in the field of aviation in your country in 2022?

Despite economic slowdown partly brought about by COVID-19, the Government of the Republic of Namibia continued to invest in aviation infrastructure. The Hosea Kutako Congestion Alleviation Project was embarked upon mainly to relieve congestion within the terminal building and to ensure that it meets the safety compliance standards. The expansion project included inter alia expansion of checking in counter to eighteen, immigration counters, screening points to five and equally doubling its capacity with respect to airport facilitation.

The Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in its 2020/2021 annual report states that revenue from the aviation industry remained minimal with overall revenue recorded during the period ended March 2021 down by 83% compared to the previous year.

Over a year ago, at the height of the covid pandemic, Namibia lost its 75 year old national airline. A major casualty of the economic downturn that resulted from the pandemic. Ofcourse Namibia was not alone in feeling the effects as the global aviation industry crushed under the weight of covid lockdowns and cross-border restrictions.

For the first time in Namibia, off-shore operations were certified and an increased number of applications for the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS or ‘drones’) were approved. Drone technology and their applications have taken the world by storm and Namibia is no exception.