AirNam leases a plane temporarily

DAMAGE to the fuselage of Air Namibia’s flagship aircraft the Boeing 747-400 Combi has forced the airline to temporarily lease an aircraft to service its international route to Frankfurt.

During its A-maintenance check, currently underway at KLM in Amsterdam, damage, probably caused by a bird, was detected. It can be expected that the MD-11 aircraft, leased from World Airways, will fly the Frankfurt-Windhoek route for at least another week while the Jumbo is being repaired.Before it left on its fourth flight for Air Namibia last night, the airline showed the aircraft to Deputy Permanent Secretary of Environment and Tourism Ndeutapo Amagulu and CEO of the Namibia Tourism Board Gideon Shilongo to assure them that the airline’s safety and service record would be maintained while it is in use.The aircraft can take 291 passengers.Boeing took over the production of the MD-11 from McDonnell Douglas in 1997.Air Namibia’s Boeing Jet was supposed to leave the airline’s fleet last week in preparation for its sale next month.But Air Namibia’s Technical and Operations General Manager Andre Compion said yesterday that the Jumbo would still return to Namibia to fly the continental route until a suitable replacement had been found.It has the option to lease the MD 11 from World Airways until the end of the month.German aviation authorities last week refused to allow the Boeing 747 Air Namibia leased from South African Airways for this route to land at Frankfurt as it lacked the required bullet-proof cockpit door which has become mandatory since the September 11 terrorist attacks.The aircraft has already been returned to South Africa.Compion told The Namibian that the airline would no longer look for a temporary replacement aircraft for this route, but intended to find an Airbus A340-300 to lease on a long-term basis in accordance with its business plan.He said the airline had made “important successes” over the past week in this regard.”It remains challenging whether we will have an aircraft in time, but we are never going to leave the airline without an aircraft,” Compion said, adamant that the airline’s reputation on the route could not be compromised as a result of the impending sale of the Jumbo Jet.Air Namibia Managing Director Gernot Riedel is in Europe to discuss the sale of the Boeing 747-400 to yet undisclosed buyers.It is supposed to be handed over to its new owners on July 21.It can be expected that the MD-11 aircraft, leased from World Airways, will fly the Frankfurt-Windhoek route for at least another week while the Jumbo is being repaired.Before it left on its fourth flight for Air Namibia last night, the airline showed the aircraft to Deputy Permanent Secretary of Environment and Tourism Ndeutapo Amagulu and CEO of the Namibia Tourism Board Gideon Shilongo to assure them that the airline’s safety and service record would be maintained while it is in use.The aircraft can take 291 passengers.Boeing took over the production of the MD-11 from McDonnell Douglas in 1997.Air Namibia’s Boeing Jet was supposed to leave the airline’s fleet last week in preparation for its sale next month.But Air Namibia’s Technical and Operations General Manager Andre Compion said yesterday that the Jumbo would still return to Namibia to fly the continental route until a suitable replacement had been found.It has the option to lease the MD 11 from World Airways until the end of the month.German aviation authorities last week refused to allow the Boeing 747 Air Namibia leased from South African Airways for this route to land at Frankfurt as it lacked the required bullet-proof cockpit door which has become mandatory since the September 11 terrorist attacks.The aircraft has already been returned to South Africa.Compion told The Namibian that the airline would no longer look for a temporary replacement aircraft for this route, but intended to find an Airbus A340-300 to lease on a long-term basis in accordance with its business plan.He said the airline had made “important successes” over the past week in this regard.”It remains challenging whether we will have an aircraft in time, but we are never going to leave the airline without an aircraft,” Compion said, adamant that the airline’s reputation on the route could not be compromised as a result of the impending sale of the Jumbo Jet.Air Namibia Managing Director Gernot Riedel is in Europe to discuss the sale of the Boeing 747-400 to yet undisclosed buyers.It is supposed to be handed over to its new owners on July 21.