Air Namibia (Windhoek International) is searching for a prominent international partner to help it expand newly appointed CEO, Rene Gsponer, has said. With the recent overhaul of its board and business plan, Air Namibia has seen a surge in demand coupled with a rise in revenue which, Gsponer told Bloomberg news in Johannesburg last week, it hopes to maintain.

In contrast to last year's hefty NAD600million (USD56million) loss, the airline has so far managed to post a monthly profit and is on track to post its first overall annual profit in 5 years, he said. With a return to profitability secure, the airline will then turn its attention towards finding a worthwhile international partner.

“In the long run we need to have a partnership to avoid shrinking to a regional player,” Gsponer said. “We need a strong international partnership.”

Air Namibia currently operates a fleet of four A319-100s, two A330-200s and four E135s on domestic flights as well as flights throughout Southern, Central and West Africa as well as to Frankfurt International.

In April this year, the Namibian carrier signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) in which the Turks pledged to improve Air Namibia's operating and technical capabilities in the areas of human capital development and training, and coordinated network development. It is uncertain whether this is a precursor to a deeper relationship between the carriers.

Regionally, Emirates (EK, Dubai International) signed a strategic cooperation agreement with TAAG Angola Airlines (DT, Luanda 4 De Fevereiro) in December last year while the Republic of Congo partnered Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) subsidiary, Lufthansa Consulting, in the launch of ECAIR - Equatorial Congo Airlines (EQR, Brazzaville).