Hosea Kutako International Airport is the main international airport serving the Namibian capital city of Windhoek. Located well east of the city, 45km, it is Namibia's largest airport with international connections. The name of the airport comes from Namibian hero Hosea Kutako.HistoryThe airport was opened in 1965 during South African administration, and was then named J.G. Strijdom Airport, after the Nationalist Prime Minister of South Africa. It was renamed Hosea Kutako International Airport following independence in 1990.Several international airlines tried in the past to have Windhoek International Airport as a destination but few of them have managed to establish service in Windhoek until recently. The absence of direct international flights to Windhoek means that many people have to fly via Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, resulting in additional transit visa costs, visa processing time taken by respective embassies and longer travel time. There are around 18 direct flights daily between Hosea Kutako International Airport and OR Tambo International Airport. New direct international flights to Hosea Kutako International Airport will make Windhoek a more desirable travel destination.The airport handled 672,582 passengers in 2007. In 2009, it handled around 680,000 passengers, just over 4% down on the previous year when over 710,000 passengers were processed.Although Hosea Kutako International Airport is the main airport for international flights to and from Namibia, few domestic flights originate at Hosea Kutako Airport as those are predominantly handled at the smaller Windhoek Eros Airport which is located in the city.
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