Despite repeated denials of a government bailout in recent weeks, Namibian cabinet members have reportedly met secretly with Air Namibia’s management to discuss the indebted carrier's predicament, sources close to the matter told the newspaper The Patriot.

Now under the leadership of Escher Luanda who took on the position of chairman on September 9, the airline has secured a sum of NAD500 million Namibian dollars (USD33.66 million) from the government to help it to settle some of its debts. The bailout was to have been announced after the forthcoming general election scheduled for November 27.

Among these debts was an unpaid sum for an A330-200 undergoing maintenance at Malta International totalling EUR1.3 million euros (USD1.43 million), the sources said. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, V5-ANP is currently inactive in Malta.

Air Namibia's other A330-200, V5-ANO, was reportedly denied refuelling at Frankfurt International by GFS German Fuel Service on November 1, according to documents seen by The Patriot. However, V5-ANO has continued to operate scheduled flights to Frankfurt, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.

The carrier additionally owed the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) almost NAD500 million (USD33.66 million) in March this year in unpaid landing fees and taxes, a debt that had risen to NAD522 million (USD35.2 million) by July.

However, the estate of defunct Belgian carrier Challengair has reportedly so far been paid close to EUR10 million (USD11 million) of the EUR25 million (USD27.5 million) owed to it in a long-running dispute.