Windhoek Airport drama causes flights to Divert

Eurowings Discover had to divert two of its A330s to Johannesburg whilst Qatar Airways also diverted a Boeing 787 to Johannesburg. The diversion were caused by ground handling challenges at Windhoek International Airport.

The Namibian Airports Company (NAC) announced on the 18th of August that Menzies, the company that had been providing ground handling services at Windhoek since 2014, had been evicted from the airport as their contract had expired in 2021. Upon expiration of the contract, NAC invited new bids for the ground handling services in which Paragon Investment Holdings won the bid. NAC’s decision to award the contract to Paragon was being challenged by Menzies but a Supreme Court decision ruled in favour of NAC and Paragon and deemed the eviction of Menzies just.

NAC’s chief executive officer, Bisey Uirab said, “Paragon’s commencement to perform ground handling services at HKIA heeds the Supreme Court’s assertion that Menzies relied on unlawful self-help to stay put and had, to date hereof, occupied the premises unlawfully for about a year.”