Questions have been raised about the arrival process at Walvis Bay Airport after a South African visitor complained about the time, she spent waiting to be processed after landing.
The visitor contacted the Namib Times following her arrival in Walvis Bay on an Airlink flight from Johannesburg on 21 September. She told the newspaper that the aircraft landed at about 12:50 and that she spent more than an hour going through the arrival and customs process. According to the visitor, passengers were required to complete forms and undergo various checks before being processed. She also raised concerns about the temperature-checking process and said the queue was moving slowly. She questioned why the process was taking so long and raised a concern about whether Namibian citizens were being processed ahead of foreign visitors. The visitor also said the delay affected transport waiting for passengers outside the airport.
Following the initial complaint, the Namib Times received photographs and further complaints from members of the public regarding waiting times and the arrival process at Walvis Bay Airport. The additional complaints have prompted the newspaper to seek clarity on whether the concerns raised are isolated incidents or whether there are wider issues affecting passenger processing at the airport. The Namib Times contacted Namibia Airports Company (NAC) and Customs for comment and clarification. Questions were put to the relevant authorities regarding the reasons for delays, staffing and processing arrangements, the checks and forms passengers are required to complete, coordination between the different agencies operating at the airport, and how complaints about lengthy waiting times are handled.
The newspaper also sought clarification regarding the concern raised about whether Namibian citizens and foreign visitors are processed differently. At the time of going to print, the Namib Times had not received feedback from Customs or Namibia Airports Company. The newspaper will publish any substantive response received from the relevant authorities.
The Namib Times understands that airport arrival procedures involve more than one agency, and the newspaper is therefore seeking comment from the relevant authorities before drawing conclusions about the reasons for any delays. For passengers arriving in Namibia, lengthy waiting times can be frustrating, particularly when there is little information available about the reason for a delay. The Namib Times will continue to follow up on the matter in the public interest.
By Eileen van der Schyff
