Air Namibia ceases operations....SW code switch?

[FlyerTalker]

For years, folks talk about flying SW, while the actual code for Southwest flights is WN.  In news yesterday, Air Namibia has announced that they are ceasing service and will be liquidating - a victim of the reduced air traffic over the past year.

 

Will IATA reassign the SW code that Air Namibia used?  Will it remain in the list of assigned but defunct codes (such as NW and US) or will it be recycled (like CO and HP)?  Will it go to Southwest or will Southwest just stay with WN?

 

Musings for a Friday.

[Zach1213]

As a Namibian, who has deep ties to Air Namibia and is very sad to see it go both because of my memories of the airline and my national pride...I hope not. Long live SW! 

[mikkelhansen]

I remember having read somewhere that applying for an IATA code costs somewhere around $50,000 (or it may have been ~DKK50,000, about $8000). It may be a first-time-only fee, though.

The question is, would Southwest think it was worth the cost to apply for SW, if possible without a major cool-off period (like several years) - even at a cost of $50,000? I definitely think so.

Edited February 12, 2021 by mikkelhansen

[zdcatc12]

4 hours ago, mikkelhansen said:

I remember having read somewhere that applying for an IATA code costs somewhere around $50,000 (or it may have been ~DKK50,000, about $8000). It may be a first-time-only fee, though.

The question is, would Southwest think it was worth the cost to apply for SW, if possible without a major cool-off period (like several years) - even at a cost of $50,000? I definitely think so.

Considering that at one time they offered Air Namibia a 737 for them to give up SW, I would think that $50K would be reasonable.

[klfrodo]

Finally, a new, refreshing topic to discuss on CruiseCritic.

Thank you 🙂

[PaulMCO]

It depends on the creditors (the Namibian government) who own the assets.

They are ceasing operations to protect the assets.

They could sell the assets in one lot to an investor