According to German aviation specialits aerotelegraph, Eurowings Discover is set to discontinue flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt, Germany, and Kruger Mpumulanga International Airport (KMIA; MQP) in Mbombela (Nelspruit) in Mpumalanga, South Africa, from 26 March 2023 due to low demand. The airport is the major gateway for tourists traveling to Kruger National Park. Eurowings Discover launched the service in November 2022 and announced plans to make the offering a year-round service in August 2022. The airline was the first intercontinental airline ever to start scheduled operations to Kruger National Park.
Eurowings Discover will be increasing its weekly flights from Frankfurt to Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in the Namibian capital Windhoek to ten flights in the 2023 (European) summer flight schedule. Travellers can also look forward to up to three weekly direct flights from Frankfurt to Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
20 March 2023
Germany: Eurowings Discover discontinues flights to Kruger National Park!
18 August 2022
Southern Africa: The Lufthansa Group has announced its European winter flight plan for 2022/23!
The Lufthansa Group has announced its plans for Southern Africa during the upcoming European winter 2022/23. Lufthansa will continue to operate daily flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg. SWISS is set to return to Johannesburg with daily flights from Zürich Airport (ZRH) in Zürich. Lufthansa will scale back the the flight capacity between Frankfurt and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town from the current five weekly flights to three weekly flights, but will reinstate its seasonal service between Munich Airport (MUC) in Munich and Cape Town with seven weekly flights (instead of five weekly flights). Edelweiss Air will also return to Cape Town with three weekly direct flights from Zürich. Eurowings Discover will commence direct year-round flights between Frankfurt and Kruger Mpumulanga International Airport (KMIA; MQP), which located 27 km north east of Mbombela (Nelspruit), the major stopover point for tourists traveling to Kruger National Park. The new route will be operated three times per week via Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Namibia's capital Windhoek. Eurowings Discover will discontinue its service between Windhoek and Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls,Zimbabwe, from 14 November 2022.
25 April 2022
Fifth Freedom Right: Eurowings Discover now allowed to offer tickets between Windhoek <> Victoria Falls!
The Lufthansa Group has has obtained fifth freedom rights, which enables its customers to purchase tickets on the regional tag flight between Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Windhoek, Namibia, and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. These flights are operated by Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa Group’s long-haul leisure airline, which operates three weekly flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt, Germany, and Victoria Falls via Windhoek.
In commercial aviation, a fifth freedom right allows an airline from one country to fly between two other countries, with the right to transport passengers between them.
- Frankfurt 21:50 > 08:20+1 Windhoek
- Windhoek 09:15 > 11:45 Victoria Falls
- Victoria Falls 15:05 > 17:45 Windhoek
- Windhoek 18:45 > 05:35+1 Frankfurt
24 March 2022
Namibia: Windhoek becomes Eurowing Discover's most frequently served destination! [update]
update (06 June 2022): Discover will increase the number of flights between Frankfurt and Windhoek to a total of ten weekly frequencies from 01 July 2022 to 06 November 2022. From then on, the airline will still offer seven weekly flights between the two destinations.
German leisure carrier Eurowings Discover, owned and operated by the Lufthansa Group, has announced that Windhoek in Namibia is set to become the most frequently served destination in its flight schedule. From 27 March 2022, the airline will increase its offer from five to seven weekly flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt, Germany, and Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Windhoek, operated as year-round service. The program will then be further expanded to a total of ten weekly flights during northern summer peak season, lasting from 02 July 2022 to 11 September 2022. The flights depart Windhoek every day in the early evening. The three additional services during summer are scheduled on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing the Namibian capital early in the morning.
From end of March 2022 to mid-November 2022, three weekly services will be
operated as tag legs with onward flights to Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The route is offered on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays with a short stopover in Windhoek. The regulatory approval has been granted to Eurowings Discover to also make their flights available for travellers from Namibia to fly to Victoria Falls from mid-April 2022.
Eurowings Discover is the only European airline currently offering direct flights
between Europe and Namibia and the first intercontinental airline ever to
operate scheduled services to Victoria Falls.
11 February 2022
Germany: Eurowings Discover to launch flights between Frankfurt <> Kruger National Park! [update]
update (05 August 2022): Lufthansa has announced that Eurowings Discover will turn its new Frankfurt <> Kruger National Park route into a year-round service for 2023.
German airline Eurowings Discover will be the first intercontinental airline ever to start scheduled operations to South Africa's Kruger National Park. In its first season, between 15 November 2022 and 25 March 2023, the airline will fly three times a week from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt, Germany, to Kruger Mpumulanga International Airport (KMIA; MQP), with a short stopover at Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Namibia's capital Windhoek. Kruger Mpumulanga International Airport (KMIA; MQP) is located 27 km north east of Mbombela (Nelspruit), the major stopover point for tourists traveling to Kruger National Park.
Eurowings Discover is the Lufthansa Group's new leisure airline that flies travellers from the Frankfurt hub – and from summer 2022 also from Munich – to the most beautiful local and long-distance destinations in the world.
11 August 2021
Lufthansa Group's brand new airline "Eurowings Discover" now connects Frankfurt <> Windhoek!
Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa Group's news leisure airline, has begun operations in Windhoek, Namibia. The airline touched down at Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) for the very first time this morning (11 August 2021). Flight 4Y132 departed from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt, Germany, on 10 August 2021 and arrived in Windhoek at 08:05. Eurowings Discover is the only European airline currently offering direct flights to Namibia.
Eurowings Discover operates five weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between Frankfurt and Windhoek in 2021. From March 2022, the airline will increase its service to daily flights with three weekly onward tag flights to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
14 July 2021
Covid-19: The Lufthansa Group temporarily reduces flights between Frankfurt <> Windhoek! [update]
update (31 July 2021): Germany's Robert Koch Institut (RKI) will with effect from 01 August 2021 downgrade Namibia and South Africa from being classified as Covid-19 virus variant areas to areas of high risk. According to Dr. Andrè Schulz, General Manager of the Lufthansa Group in Southern & East Africa, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group will - based on the new regulations that are coming with the downgrade - continuously re-evaluate and adjust capacities to meet the demand according to customer needs.
The Lufthansa Group has adapted its schedule for flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt, Germany, and Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Namibia's capital Windhoek. As a result of Namibia being classified a Covid-19 variant area of concern by Germany's Robert Koch Institut (RKI), the Lufthansa Group has reduced its flight schedule from five flights per week between Frankfurt and Windhoek to three weekly flights between the two cities. The reduction became effective from 13 July 2021. Along with these changes, due to operational reasons the airline has also adapted the departure schedule from Windhoek. Effective 15 July 2021, all flights departing from Windhoek will incur a 12hrs:15min delay. There will be no time change for departures from Frankfurt.
For those passengers holding confirmed tickets on these flights which are affected by the schedule changes, the Lufthansa Group will offer a rebooking at no additional charge.
16 June 2021
Germany: Eurowings Discover to launch flights between Frankfurt <> Victoria Falls!
Lufthansa Group's leisure airline Eurowings Discover is set to launch a new service to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Effective 30 March 2022, the airline will operate three weekly flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt and Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Victoria Falls via Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Windhoek, Namibia. Also from 30 March 2022, Eurowings Discover will increase its operations between Frankfurt and Windhoek from five weekly flights to a daily schedule.
- Frankfurt 21:50 > 08:20+1 Windhoek
- Windhoek 09:15 > 11:45 Victoria Falls
- Victoria Falls 15:05 > 17:45 Windhoek
- Windhoek 18:45 > 05:35+1 Frankfurt
03 May 2021
Lufthansa Group: Flights between Frankfurt <> Windhoek to be operated by the new "Eurowings Discover! [update]
update (19 June 2021): Effective 20 Jun 2021, the German Government will officially downgrade Namibia as a virus variant area. Lufthansa Group's flight schedule will operate as per normal with the following conditions highlight below:
- Only German nationals and holders of a German resident permit are allowed to enter Germany.
- Transit via Germany to any Schengen destination is only permitted for German nationals and holders of a German resident permit.
- All passengers mentioned in point 1 and 2 must hold a negative COVID-19 test result at time of departure, not older than 72 hours from the planned arrival in Germany, (exception Antigen-tests: 24 hours) and must register online under following link: https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de/
- Transit to any Non-Schengen destination (exception China) is permitted for all nationalities.
- All passengers must observe local quarantine regulations. Detailed information can be found under following links: https://lufthansa.travel-regulations.com/?language=en and www.lufthansa.com/de/en/flight-information
The Lufthansa Group has announced that it will continue to operate five weekly flights to and from Windhoek throughout 2021 and that it will move its flight operations between Germany and Namibia from Eurowings to the new leisure brand Eurowings Discover from the beginning of August 2021. Until the end of May 2021, Eurowing's existing flight schedule to and from Windhoek shall remain unchanged. From the beginning of June 2021 until the end of July 2021, flights between Frankfurt and Windhoek will be serviced by Lufthansa. During these two month, flights between Windhoek and Frankfurt will be operated during the night. Thereafter, from August 2021, the Lufthansa Group will move all fight operations to and from Windhoek under its new Eurowings Discover brand and will continue operating five weekly flights between Windhoek and Frankfurt with an evening departure from Namibia's capital.
