THE Namibian Society of Engineers (Nase) is requesting president Hage Geingob to stop the decision by cabinet to liquidate the national airline, Air Namibia.
The government announced the decision to voluntarily liquidate the national airline, as it has become a financial burden.
In a letter to the president on 12 February 2021, Nase’s president Charles Mukwaso said the voluntary liquidation would severely and negatively impact the already subdued technical industry and the nation as a whole.
“Mr President, in your position as head of state and chief executive officer of our republic, we hereby propose that you invoke executive authority and halt the planned voluntary liquidation of our airline as a matter of urgency, and consider instituting our proposed measures to keep the carrier of the spirit of the nation in the air, with all its current employees retained,” he noted.
Mukwaso added that consultation with an aerospace engineering specialist indicates that besides the 636 Air Namibia employees who will soon become unemployed, more than 30 engineers and technicians will be without jobs.
“These are specialised professionals in the fields of aeronautical engineering and aircraft maintenance engineering. It is worth noting that in aviation, engineers specialise in accordance with aircraft types, and as a small economy, we’re not specialists of so many aircraft types,” the Nase president noted.
Nase proposed that the government explore ways to convert Air Namibia into a public company to be listed on the Namibian Stock Exchange.
This would then enable Namibians to fund the airline by buying shares and contributing to its overall growth and vision.
The engineers also requested the president to order the establishment of a compliance general who will oversee the return to compliance for the time being.
They also called for the establishment of a commission of experts that will devise a completely new and practical strategic vision for the airline.
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