The Lufthansa Group’s new leisure airline, Eurowings Discover, touched down in Windhoek, Namibia, yesterday (Wednesday, August 11) on its inaugural flight from Frankfurt.

Deploying an Airbus A330-200 on the route, Eurowings Discover operates five weekly flights, departing from Frankfurt on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The return flight departs from Windhoek on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

From Northern hemisphere summer 2022, the carrier will increase flights to daily, with three weekly onward tag flights to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Captain Wolfgang Raebiger, who is also CEO of the new airline, operated the first flight to Windhoek, which was welcomed by special guests, including the German Ambassador to Namibia, Herbert Beck.

“This flight marks an important milestone for our new airline Eurowings Discover. By handing over this route to its new leisure airline, the Lufthansa Group emphasises both the importance of Namibia as a destination in its touristic portfolio as well as its commitment to the Southern African region,” said Raebiger.

General Manager Lufthansa Group, Southern and East Africa, Dr André Schulz said: “Lufthansa Group has a long-term commitment ensuring that Namibia remains connected to Europe and the rest of the world, which is underlined by our plans to further enhance our flight services to a daily schedule between Windhoek and Frankfurt, starting from March 2022.”

Esther Kaapanda, Executive Director of the Ministry of Works and Transport, said the Lufthansa Group continued to be a strategic partner in promoting Namibia to become a preferred tourist destination.

“The arrival of Eurowings Discover at our international airport brings renewed hope to revive tourism, generate economic development, business and trade during these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

Welcoming Eurowings to Hosea Kutako International, CEO of Namibia Airports Company, Bisey Uirab, said the flight would offer wider air connectivity to the European market and the rest of the world. “This will culminate in an increase in passenger movements and revenue generation.”