03.12.2020 - 09:55 UTC
Namibia's High Court has again postponed a case in which Air Namibia (SW, Windhoek Int'l) is facing liquidation over a historical debt of USD24.2 million to the bankruptcy estate of defunct Belgian carrier Challengair (1I, Brussels National).
Air Namibia spokesperson Twaku Kayofa confirmed to ch-aviation the case, which was due to have been heard in the Windhoek High Court on December 1, 2020, was postponed to January 29, 2021. The matter had already been postponed from October 2020.
The cash-stricken national carrier was to re-appear to defend an application to have it liquidated filed by Anicet Baum, the Belgian liquidator of Challengair, relating to overdue monthly payments of a settlement of NAD400 million Namibian dollars (USD24.2 million) following a longstanding dispute over the lease and maintenance of a B767-300(ER) in 1998.
The Namibian newspaper reports the matter was postponed at the request of Air Namibia to give both parties time to reach an out-of-court settlement. This followed a notice filed by the country's Public Enterprises Ministry on December 1 that the government...
30.11.2020 - 14:24 UTC
Air Namibia (SW, Windhoek Int'l) has denied news reports of a hostage drama involving its interim Chief Executive Officer Theo Mberirua as the cash-stricken flag carrier faces liquidation in the country’s High Court.
The Namibian newspaper reported that several staff members, disgruntled over unpaid bonuses, refused to let Mberirua leave his office last week.
However, Air Namibia spokesperson Twaku Kayofa told ch-aviation: “There was no hostage of Air Namibia’s Interim CEO or anything of that kind. The matter at hand was an engagement between the Interim CEO and Air Namibia employees. Amongst the matters that were discussed was the 13th cheque due to be paid by the employer to the employees. The discussion was fruitful, and employees received their 13th cheque (a monthly saving for staff) last week, Friday, November 27, 2020. All operations are ongoing, and the airline is servicing its routes as per the published schedule,” he said.
This comes as the airline prepares to re-appear in the Namibian High Court in the capital Windhoek on December 1, 2020, to defend an...
17.11.2020 - 03:30 UTC
Air Namibia (SW, Windhoek Int'l) has presented a new NAD4.7 billion Namibian dollar (USD303.8 million) business plan to the country’s government aimed at turning around the struggling state-carrier which is still facing liquidation in the Windhoek High Court.
This was confirmed to the Namibian Sun by Public Enterprises Minister Leon Jooste who said the plan was slightly different to a previous version and would be discussed with the country’s Finance and Transport ministries to chart a way forward for the airline. No further insight was given into the details of the plan.
The airline’s board in October already requested NAD193 million (USD11.6 million) from the state to restart operations following losses sustained during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown.
Just over two weeks after resuming international flights to South Africa on October 28, the carrier on November 16 again suspended its routes to Cape Town and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo for four weeks because two of its four EMB-135ERs were to undergo scheduled heavy maintenance checks. It said its domestic services would be unaffected...
31.10.2020 - 00:40 UTC
Air Namibia (SW, Windhoek Int'l) has had another reprieve from liquidation after the Namibian High Court in Windhoek on October 29, 2020, postponed the case to December 1, 2020, on a legal technicality to allow the merits of the case to be heard, reports EagleFM.
The airline is opposing an application in which Anicet Baum, the Belgian liquidator of defunct Challengair (1I, Brussels National), seeks to have the cash-strapped national carrier liquidated, alleging it had failed to honour monthly instalments on a settlement of NAD400 million Namibian dollars (USD24.2 million) to Challengair. The settlement results from a longstanding dispute over Air Namibia's lease and maintenance of a B767-300(ER) from Challengair in 1998.
Meanwhile, the Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA) informed its members that Air Namibia had been suspended from the IATA Settlement Systems (ISS) after it failed to pay outstanding amounts due in relation to Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) and IATA Clearing House (ICH) settlements. ASATA had been informed according by Juan Antonio Rodriguez, IATA's Director Financial Distribution Services...
