Yesterday (Sunday, September 20) at 06h20, LH5434 marked the first European flight to arrive in Windhoek after the international ban was implemented five months ago in March.
This is the first direct flight connection to resume operations between Europe and Namibia since the official reopening of borders on September 1. To signify the importance of the occasion, the Eurowings Airbus A330-300 aircraft was welcomed at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek with a ceremonial water salute.
The Eurowings flight signals the restart of the non-stop scheduled Frankfurt-Windhoek service and is an important step to enable European leisure and business travellers to travel to Namibia.
“Namibia is an important market for the Lufthansa Group and we are pleased to demonstrate our commitment to this market and our support in the restart of the much-needed tourism sector by being the first European airline to resume operations in Namibia,” said Dr André Schulz, General Manager of Lufthansa Group, Southern Africa & East Africa.
“Reinstating a non-stop route between Frankfurt and Windhoek offers German and other leisure visitors from around the globe access to Namibia’s renowned wildlife experience, amongst other tourist attractions, while providing an effective connection for business travellers looking to commute between Namibia’s capital city, Windhoek, and one of Europe’s major financial hubs, Frankfurt.”
Eurowings will operate three direct weekly flights on the Windhoek-Frankfurt route, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing Windhoek at 08h20 and arriving in Frankfurt at 18h50. Frankfurt is the biggest hub within the Lufthansa Group and offers a vast variety of connecting destinations.
“Germany is part of Namibia’s top source markets for tourists, and we are pleased that Eurowings is resuming its operation, thanks to the rich historic and bilateral relations between Namibia and Germany. We are looking forward to a stronger bond between NAC and the Lufthansa Group,” said Bisey Uirab,Chief Executive Officer, Namibia Airports Company.
