Air Namibia introduces austerity measures

   WINDHOEK, Nov. 20  -- Air Namibia announced Wednesday that it will introduce austerity measures on its regional routes, starting Friday after the finance minister denied the national airline a state bailout last month. 
   The national flag carrier said in a statement that it will be re-aligning its economy class on-board meal and beverage offerings on all flights of 2.5 hours. 
   The new service offering in economy class will include a "dry snack" option with juice, still or sparkling water that will be offered in place of hot meals previously served. This applies to all flights with a duration of 2.5 hours and less irrespective of the time of departure or aircraft type. 
   Alcoholic beverages such as beer, wines, and spirits, as well as hot beverages such as tea and coffee, will no longer be on offer.
   The service offering on the airline's international route will remain unchanged.    
   Xavier Masule, Interim Chief Executive Officer said the austerity measures are one of the many initiatives Air Namibia is in the process of implementing to enhance revenue and to contain costs.  
   "As a trendsetter in the region, the move is geared towards making our business operations more financially sustainable and to re-align with today's realities," Masule said.
   The move comes as Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein last month denied the financially struggling national flag carrier a 2 billion Namibian dollars (135 million U.S. dollars) cash injection.
   Speaking at a midterm budget review breakfast in the capital in October Schlettwein said no money has been made available to bail out the national airline which has received 8.3 billion Namibian dollars from the state between 1999 and 2019.  Xinhua