Lubango - The air connection between the cities of Lubango and Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, since 2022, is considerably affecting the flow of European, South African and Namibian tourists to Angolan southern Huíla province.
Before the interruption, Lubango had, through the Flag Airline, three weekly frequencies (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday), with flights always full, with Huíla, at the time, being the only province with a connection abroad, after Luanda.
It is by this route that more than 70 percent of foreign tourists who were destined for Huíla and Namibe arrived, favored, above all, by the short travel time (1h30 minutes).
In an interview with ANGOP on Friday, the provincial director of Hotels, Tourism, Youth and Sports, Osvaldo Lunda, said that the suspension 'severely affected' the flow of tourists, as the road connection (15 hours of travel) carries risks that visitors often do not want to face.
'We have had contact with several national and foreign people living in Namibia and South Africa, who have clearly shown their discontent with the interruption of this air bridge,' he said.
The manager pointed out that it is a situation that puts the country at the 'tail' of the most sought after tourist destinations by visitors to SADC, given that Namibia is an important 'gateway' and almost always passed on part of the visitors to Huíla.
'Some tourists have confided in us that the final destination is not Luanda, so it is necessary to open the internal market, create this triangulation of flights, conditions for the certification of more airports, so that the flow of tourism increases with the 98 countries allowed to visit the country without a visa,' he stressed.
Without giving figures, he admitted that the frequency of tourists coming from Namibia has dropped considerably, although there are those who see by land, but who cannot be the focus, because they are usually equipped and spend little.
However, he made it known that the Government of Huíla is working with TAAG to improve air fares and has already obtained a promise from his CEO to review prices.
He drew the attention of the National Civil Aviation Agency, in order to review its policies, being more versatile, in order to look at the need to better guide airlines that aspire to the Angolan market. MS/DOJ
