The announcement by the Transport Commission granting a preliminary Air Operating Licence (AOL) for Namibia Air has been framed as a major milestone. However, the public must not be misled by political rhetoric. An AOL is merely an administrative permit to plan an airline structure; it does not authorise a single aircraft to take off. To operate commercial flights, an entity must secure an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This