FlyNamibia backs down from Fly Etosha objection

FlyNamibia has declared that it has dropped its opposition to Fly Etosha’s request for scheduled passenger carrier status.

This comes after FlyNamibia on 14 February submitted documents to the Transportation Commission of the Ministry of Works and Transport outlining the airline’s objection to the application for granting of a scheduled air transport service licence filed by William Aupapa Ekandjo for a proposed airline to be called Fly Etosha.

FlyNamibia objected, citing a lack of financial resources, maintenance infrastructure, and ground handling services as their main justifications.

FlyNamibia Managing Director Andre Compion on Wednesday stated that it is practice and process in the aviation industry, as with most regulated industries in Namibia, for a proposed undertaking, such as the launch of a new airline, to be gazetted, thus allowing for public comment and/or objection.

He claimed that such objections were routine for FlyNamibia’s management and that the company itself had previously faced numerous objections to its own applications.

“The Namibian law allows stakeholders to object to applications as part of the governance process to ensure that the general public receives a safe and reliable air service that complies with the requirements as stated in the [relevant] Act,” he said.

Compion stated that after considering FlyNamibia’s objection to be ‘business as usual’ in the aviation industry, they were taken aback by the strong backlash from the public and have since reconsidered their strategy.

He said FlyNamibia took into consideration the public sentiment towards their objection and being cognisant of the fact that the Namibian public are key stakeholders in the company, the FlyNamibia board has made the decision to reconsider its approach and to withdraw its objection to the Fly Etosha application, allowing the application to be duly and objectively evaluated by the Transportation Commission on its own merit.

“When consumer sentiments do not align with decisions within our company we accept our responsibility to take a pragmatic approach, reflect and reassess,” said Compion.

He clarified the recent allegation discussed on social media which raised concerns about the trademarking of the name FlyNamibia, saying that on 23 July 2020, FlyNamibia registered with BIPA and received the trade name ‘Fly Namibia Aviation’ as a defensive name.

The application to register the trademark ‘FlyNamibia’ began in July 2020 and the entitlement date for this trademark was 16 July 2020, and it was formally registered on 06 July 2021.

“FlyNamibia launched the brand in November 2021 and later changed the company name thereto after receiving the necessary approvals from relevant governing bodies,” he said.

Source: Nampa