Air Namibia (Windhoek International) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) in which the two carriers have pledged to improve cooperation in the areas of human capital development and training, and coordinated network development. In addition, the MoU also aims to improve the Namibian national carrier's operating and technical capabilities as well as its service standards and efficiency levels.

"This cooperation is an instance in the construction of global aeronautical services by Turkish Airlines together with the top partners of the aviation industry. Turkish Airlines is highly focused on Africa concerning its expansion plans on its flight services, as well as other related services. By building a bridge between Turkey and Namibia via our Istanbul hub we are also strengthening our presence in the top emerging market economy in the region,” the Chief Investment and Technology Officer of Turkish Airlines, Dr Ahmet Bolat, told a press conference in Istanbul.

Quoting officials close to the talks, Namibian newspaper, The Era, says the Turks originally favoured a tie-up with Angola carrier, TAAG Angola Airlines (DT, Luanda 4 De Fevereiro). However, the plan fell through earlier this year when the Angolans announced the signing of a joint-partnership agreement with Emirates (EK, Dubai International).

Given its general lack of competitive, viable airlines, Southern Africa has begun attracting significant interest from international carriers eager to tap into the region's growing market.

With South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) as the region's dominant airline, Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa International) has made headway into Malawi with the establishment of a regional hub in Lilongwe via its latest venture, Malawi Airlines (3W, Lilongwe). Fastjet (Dar es Salaam), too, has already begun the process of certifying its new Zambian subsidiary, Fastjet Zambia (Lusaka), which will use Lusaka as its main hub.