Showing posts with label lufthansa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lufthansa. Show all posts

30 June 2026

Planning a South Africa trip? Lufthansa Group adds more flights for Summer 2026/27

Travellers planning a South African summer holiday will soon have even more options to reach Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Lufthansa Group has announced its largest-ever South African northern winter schedule, increasing capacity to 38 weekly long-haul flights between Europe and South Africa from the end of October 2026. The expanded schedule introduces additional flights, better connections and upgraded onboard products across Lufthansa, SWISS and Edelweiss.

For travellers from Germany, Switzerland and the rest of Europe, the announcement means greater flexibility when planning holidays to South Africa during the country's peak tourism season.

Cape Town becomes a daily Lufthansa destination

One of the biggest winners is Cape Town.

Lufthansa will add a new Monday non-stop flight between Frankfurt and Cape Town, turning the popular route into a daily service throughout the main northern winter season.

Daily flights offer travellers much greater flexibility, making it easier to build customised itineraries, whether you're heading to the Cape Winelands, the Garden Route, the West Coast or embarking on a self-drive adventure through South Africa.

The additional capacity also supports South Africa's growing tourism industry by making one of Africa's most popular destinations more accessible to European visitors.

Johannesburg gains more flights—and better connections

Johannesburg will also benefit from significant improvements.

Lufthansa is increasing its Munich–Johannesburg service from three to five weekly flights, operating every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

From 27 October 2026, the Johannesburg departure will also become a night flight, leaving OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) at 19:55 and arriving in Munich early the following morning.

For travellers, this means smoother onward connections to destinations across Germany and Europe, reducing layover times and making multi-city itineraries easier to plan.

Premium cabins receive major upgrades

The expanded schedule isn't only about additional seats.

Passengers flying between South Africa and Europe will also benefit from Lufthansa Group's latest premium cabin products.

Highlights include:

These next-generation cabins feature improved seating, enhanced privacy, upgraded inflight entertainment and a more comfortable travel experience, particularly for long-haul travellers.

Why this matters for South African tourism

International air capacity remains one of the biggest drivers of tourism growth.

Additional flights not only make South Africa easier to reach, but they also help keep fares competitive, improve availability during peak travel periods and encourage longer stays by giving visitors more arrival and departure choices.

Cape Town, in particular, has worked for years to attract additional long-haul capacity, and Lufthansa's daily Frankfurt service represents another important milestone in improving connectivity with Europe.

The expansion is also good news for South Africa's tourism sector, as stronger air connectivity supports visitor growth from key European source markets such as Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Lufthansa Group's South Africa Winter 2026/27 schedule at a glance

  • 38 weekly long-haul flights between South Africa and Europe.
  • Daily Frankfurt–Cape Town service during the main winter season.
  • Munich–Johannesburg increases from 3 to 5 weekly flights.
  • Johannesburg departures become convenient overnight services.
  • Daily Zurich–Johannesburg flights with SWISS.
  • Up to five weekly Zurich–Cape Town flights with Edelweiss.
  • Introduction of Lufthansa Allegris and SWISS Senses premium cabins on selected routes.
  • Expanded winter schedule begins in late October 2026.

The bottom line

Lufthansa Group's Winter 2026/27 schedule is excellent news for anyone planning a South African holiday.

Whether you're chasing summer sunshine in Cape Town, exploring the Kruger region via Johannesburg or connecting onwards to neighbouring countries, the additional services provide more choice, improved connectivity and access to some of the newest long-haul cabin products in the sky.

With a record 38 weekly flights between Europe and South Africa, travellers will have more flexibility than ever before to discover one of the world's most rewarding destinations. 

 

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29 October 2025

Lufthansa Group expands summer 2026 flights to South Africa and Namibia!

The Lufthansa Group has unveiled its Summer 2026 flight schedule, offering enhanced connectivity to South Africa and Namibia. Travellers can now enjoy more frequent departures, nonstop intercontinental access, and seamless travel opportunities, making Europe-to-Southern Africa trips easier than ever.

Munich > Johannesburg: Three weekly nonstop flights

Lufthansa continues its popular nonstop route from Munich to Johannesburg, operating three flights per week on the Airbus A350-900. Passengers benefit from fuel-efficient travel, lie-flat Business Class seats, and state-of-the-art inflight entertainment on the 10.5-hour journey. 

Frankfurt > Cape Town: Expanded weekly service
From Frankfurt, Lufthansa increases Cape Town flights from three to five weekly departures for Summer 2026. The modern widebody aircraft provide comfort, flexibility, and world-class service, while multiple departure days make planning easier for travellers.

Zurich > Windhoek: Edelweiss Air introduces twice-weekly route
Edelweiss Air introduces a Zürich–Windhoek route, flying twice weekly (Monday & Friday) on the Airbus A350. This new service gives Swiss and European travellers direct access to Namibia's deserts, national parks, and vibrant capital city, opening exciting leisure and adventure opportunities.

Zurich > Cape Town: Edelweiss Air extends Cape Town season into early June 2026
Edelweiss Air will extend its seasonal Zurich – Cape Town service into early June, marking its longest-ever South Africa season. Flights will then resume again in early September 2026, offering even more flexibility for European visitors planning late-season trips to Cape Town.
In addition, Edelweiss Air will increase its winter 2025/26 frequencies on the Zurich > Cape Town route from four to five flights per week, ensuring smoother connectivity and more travel options between Europe and Cape Town

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04 September 2024

Lufthansa resumes its seasonal Munich <> Cape Town flights!

German flag carrier Lufthansa is set to resume its seasonal service between Munich Airport (MUC) in Munich and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town, South Africa. Effective 26 October 2024, the airline will operate daily return flights to the Mother City. In the previous year, Lufthansa offered five weekly rotations between the two destinations. The seasonal service will be operated until the end of March 2024.
Lufthansa’s new Allegris First and Business Class cabins will be available on flights between Munich  and Cape Town

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15 September 2023

Germany: Lufthansa to launch a new nonstop service to South Africa! [udpate]

update (03 September 2024): Lufthana has introduced operations between Munich and Johannesburg today (03 September 2024). The new service was initially scheduled to commence on 03 June 2024, but Lufthansa moved the start date to September 2024 to accommodate the other new routes it launched this year.

German flag carrier, Lufthansa, is set to launch a new nonstop service to South Africa. The airline, which already operates return flights from Frankfurt to Johannesburg and from Frankfurt to Cape Town, will commence operations from Munich Airport (MUC) in Munich to OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg from 03 June 2024. Lufthansa will fly three times weekly between the two destinations on board an Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The last scheduled Lufthansa service from Munich to Johannesburg took place in 2005.

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17 August 2023

Lufthansa signs codeshare agreements with South African Airways and Airlink!

Germany's flag carrier airline, Lufthansa, and South Africa's national airline, South African Airways (SAA), have re-established their codeshare agreement with immediate effect.  The restored agreement applies to Lufthansa's Frankfurt <> Johannesburg service and enables SAA passengers to book connecting flights to various destinations in Europa serviced by Lufthansa and Lufthansa passengers to add connecting flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town or Durban within the same booking.
Prior to SAA's collapse into business rescue before the corona virus pandemic, the two airlines already had a codeshare.

SWISS, the flag carrier of Switzerland and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, and South African Airways (SAA) are also planning to sign a codeshare agreement. Once approved by the authorities, passengers will similarly be able to book connecting flights to various destinations in Europa serviced by SWISS and SWISS passengers to add connecting flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town or Durban within the same booking

Lufthansa's interline agreement with South African regional carrier Airlink has been changed into an codeshare agreement. [More info to follow shortly]

A codeshare agreement differs to an interline agreement because a codeshare flight is the whole flight, whereas an interline is one flight within a wider itinerary. 

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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. 

29 October 2021

Lufthansa Group to increase flights to South Africa!

The Lufthansa Group is set to increase services between Germany, Switzerland and South Africa. Germany's flag carrier, Lufthansa, is set to resume its seasonal service between Munich Airport (MUC) in Munich and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town. Effective 31 October 2021, the arline will initially operate three weekly flights between the two destinations on board an Airbus A350-900. At the end of November 2021, Lufthansa will increase the frequency of flights to five weekly operations.
From 01 November 2021, Lufthansa will resume daily flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg.
Also from 01 November 2021, the flag carrier of Switzerland, SWISS, will resume daily fligths between Zürich Airport (ZRH) in Zürich and Johannesburg.
Swiss leisure airline Edelweiss Air has already resumed its seasonal two-weekly service between Zürich and Cape Town. The service will end at the last weekend in March 2022. 

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19 August 2021

Lufthansa Group to increase flights to South Africa!

Following the recategorizing of South Africa as a Covid-19 high risk country from 01 August 2021 by the German Government and the easing of travel restrictions, the Lufthansa Group has revised its schedules by increasing the number flights to South Africa. Effective from 24 August 2021, Lufthansa will increase capacity between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt, Germany, and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg to five weekly flights. Additionally, the airline will increase flights between Frankfurt and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town to three weekly flights. SWISS will also increase return flights to Cape Town from Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Zürich, Switzerland.

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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.

25 May 2021

Lufthansa temporarily reduces flights between Frankfurt <> Cape Town!

Due to operational reasons, Lufthansa is temporarily changing its Frankfurt <> Cape Town schedule. According to a media release, the airline has reduced the number of flights between Frankfurt and Cape Town from three weekly flights to two weekly flights between 19 May 2021 and 30 June 2021. Flight LH576 departs Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt at 22:15 on Wednesdays and Fridays and arrives at Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town at 10:00 the following day. The return flight LH577 departs Cape Town at 17:45 on Thursdays and Saturdays and arrives in Frankfurt at 05:40 the following day. 

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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:

  1. Only German nationals and holders of a German resident permit are allowed to enter Germany.
  2. Transit via Germany to any Schengen destination is only permitted for German nationals and holders of a German resident permit.
  3. 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/
  4. Transit to any Non-Schengen destination (exception China) is permitted for all nationalities.
  5. 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.

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17 March 2021

Lufthansa to resume direct flights between Frankfurt <> Cape Town!

The Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, is set to resume direct flights to Cape Town in South Africa. Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, is planning to relaunch flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town at the end of March 2021 with three weekly frequencies. The airline will also increase the number of flights between Frankfurt and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg from currently three weekly flights to five weekly flights from 01 April 2021. The flag carrier of Switzerland, Swiss, will continue to operate three weekly flights between Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Zürich and Johannesburg

  • Frankfurt 22:15 > 10:00 Cape Town on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays (effective 25 March 2021)
  • Cape Town 17:45 > 05:40 Frankfurt on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays (effective 27 March 2021)

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15 February 2021

Lufthansa has suspended flights between Fankfurt <> Cape Town!

Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, has temporarily suspended its direct service between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town until further notice. This is due to a general ban on travel and entry from countries with widespread occurrence of Covid-19 virus variants, which includes South Africa, eSwatini and Lesotho. Lufthansa continues to operate three weekly flights between Frankfurt and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg. Swiss, the flag carrier of Switzerland and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, also continues to operate three weekly flights between Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Zurich and Johannesburg

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30 January 2021

Germany restricts travel from South Africa over Covid-19 variants!

Due to the German Federal Police's instructions of 29 January 2021, passengers from virus variant-areas are subject to respect extended travel conditions. According to the Robert Koch Institute, South Africa is one of the virus variant countries. The Lufthansa Group, for instance, is currently only permitted to carry the following booked passengers on departures from South Africa to Germany:

  • Passengers with German nationality or passengers with a valid residence permit in Germany (upon presentation of a German registration certificate).  
  • Passengers of other nationalities but only if they have a connecting flight to a "Non-Schengen state" and do not leave the transit area in Frankfurt or Munich.
  • All passengers mentioned in the two points above must present a negative test result (PCR, antigen, RT-LAMP or TMA) at the time of departure, which is not older than 48 hours before the scheduled time of entry in Germany and complete an online registration on the site www.einreiseanmeldung.de
  • All guests with final destination in Germany must follow the local German quarantine regulations.
  • All passengers with a connecting flight to a destination outside Germany must observe the entry regulations of the corresponding destination country in addition to the above-mentioned obligations.

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28 January 2021

South Africa: Lufthansa & Swiss have signed an interline agreement with Airlink!

The Lufthansa Group has announced that two of its subsidiaries, namely Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, and the flag carrier of Switzerland, Swiss, have signed an interline agreement with South African privately-owned regional carrier Airlink. The agreement provides passengers of Lufthansa and Swiss seamless connectivity via Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town, and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg to more than 20 regional destinations in Southern Africa and to more than 25 domestic destinations in South Africa including Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Bloemfontein (all in South Africa), Harare (Zimbabwe), Lusaka (Zambia), Maputo (Mozambique), Gaborone (Botswana), Windhoek (Namibia), amongst others.

An Interline agreement between airlines allows passengers to change from one flight on one airline to another flight on another airline without having to gather their bags or check-in again.

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19 January 2021

The Lufthansa Group is adjusting its flight schedule to South Africa! [update]

update (29 January 2021): Germany's Robert Koch Institut (RKI) has identified South Africa as a level 3 risk area. As a result, passengers entering or transferring through Germany from South Africa are required to present a negative Covid-19 test result at the time of boarding their flight. The test result may not be older than 48 hours upon entry into Germany. The Lufthansa Group has partnered with Atter Pathology Services (APS) in South Africa in order to ensure passengers obtain their necessary Covid-19 test results on time, before their scheduled flight departure. There are two testing sites available specifically for Lufthansa Group passengers:

  • Illovo, Johannesburg
    • Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 08:00 – 12:00
    • Saturday by request only (based on a minimum number of bookings needed)
  • Ottery, Cape Town
    • Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 – 16:00
    • Saturday & Sunday by request only (based on a minimum number of bookings needed)

Should any passenger wish to utilize the services of APS, it is essential to make a booking, as no walk-in customers will be accepted.

The Lufthansa Group has announced that Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines are adjusting their flight program to South Africa in response the the reduced demand. The airline group continues to connect OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town with its hubs in Europe by offering a total of nine weekly connections. As of 25 January 2021, the flight schedule of the Lufthansa Group will be adjusted as follows:

  • Lufthansa:
  • Swiss:
    • Zürich <> Johannesburg
      • schedule remains unchanged three times per week operated mostly with a Boeing 777-400ER and in a few cases with an Airbus A340-300
  • Austrian Airlines:

With effect from yesterday (18 January 2021), all Lufthansa flights departing from Cape Town and Johannesburg will be delayed by 24 hours, due to operational reasons. Passengers affected by any of the above mentioned flight delays or cancellations will be rebooked to existing connections accordingly.

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26 November 2020

Lufthansa Group to increase flights to South Africa!

The General Manager Southern Africa & East Africa Lufthansa Group Airlines, Dr. André Schulz, has announced on LinkedIn that the airline group is set to increase flights to/from South Africa. As from the end of December 2020, Lufthansa Group will collectively offer 10 weekly flights to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town and 8 weekly flights to OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg.

Lufthansa will operate the following services:

In addition, the flag carrier of Switzerland, Swiss, and its sister company Edelweiss Air, both subsidiaries of the Lufthansa Group, are operating two weekly flights between Zürich and Cape Town (Edelweiss Air) and three weekly flights between Zürich and Johannesburg (Swiss). Austrian Airlines, the flag carrier of Austria and also a member of the Lufthansa Group, operates another two weekly flights between Vienna and Cape Town

09 October 2020

Lufthansa's flight schedule to South Africa is fully operational!

The largest German airline, Lufthansa, has resumed flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town. The first flight since the lifting of the international travel ban in South Africa landed in Cape Town on 08 October 2020. The airline will operate two weekly flights between Frankfurt and Cape Town on Mondays and Fridays with all flights departing in the evening and landing at their destination in the morning.
Lufthansa also resumed flights between Frankfurt and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg. The airline's flight on 01 October 2020 was the very first international flight to arrive in South Africa after ending a more than six-month ban on international travel in South Africa that was part of the country's restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19. With the resumption of flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town, Lufthansa's flight schedule to South Africa is now fully operational.
Two other Lufthansa Group carriers, Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines, are also resuming their operations into South Africa. Swiss International Air Lines already resumed its service last week with a once weekly nonstop return service from Zürich Airport (ZRH) in Zürich to Johannesburg. Austrian Airlines recently announced their plans to resume flights between Vienna International Airport (VIE) in Vienna and Cape Town in mid-December 2020.

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17 July 2019

Mango Airlines and Lufthansa have partnered to offer connections in South Africa!

Mango Airlines, a state-owned South African low-cost airline and subsidiary of South African Airways, has partnered with Germany's flag carrier, Lufthansa, to provide customers even more connections to destinations in South Africa. Lufthansa passengers can now connect to and from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and George via Mango Airlines connections. Those flying to or from Cape Town can connect to and from Johannesburg, Durban and Bloemfontein.
The Lufthansa Group and South African Airways have had a codeshare agreement since 1996 jointly connecting European destinations with South Africa. Current code share routes include
Johannesburg as well as Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Windhoek, Harare and Mauritius.

06 June 2017

SWISS & Lufthansa to introduce a sixth weekly service to Nairobi!

The national airline of Switzerland, SWISS, is set to introduce a sixth weekly flight between Zürich Airport (ZRH) in Zürich and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi. Effective 06 July 2017, the airline will operate flights to Kenya's capital on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 
SWISS' parent company Lufthansa will also add a sixth service from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt to Nairobi. The airline's traffic days will be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.