South Africa officially has a new airport for intercontinental flights with the arrival of German leisure carrier Eurowings Discover set to bring up to 30 000 passengers a year from Frankfurt to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP). 

After a stopover in Windhoek (WDH), the Lufthansa subsidiary’s Airbus A330 touched down to an enthusiastic reception at the small airport outside Mbombela, Mpumalanga’s capital city, on Wednesday (November 16). The flight – which Eurowings Discover aims to ramp up from a twice a week to a thrice-weekly, year-round service – is a major boon for the province and South Africa’s tourism industry.

Germany is South Africa’s third-largest overseas source market, and the Kruger National Park is a particularly sought-after destination, attracting approximately 170 000 German tourists annually pre-COVID.  

“KNP is part of the itinerary for the vast majority of Germans visiting South Africa, so the opportunity to fly direct to the region is a significant attraction. Flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town are in extremely high demand and it is in the mutual interests of both South Africa and Germany to meet this demand with an additional, innovative offering such as this, which brings flights from Germany up to more than 30 per week,” said Andreas Peschke, Germany’s Ambassador to South Africa.

Thandiwe Mathibela, Global PR, Communications and Stakeholder Relations Manager for South African Tourism, added that the new route would serve the needs that the agency had identified through its collaboration with government, airlines and trade partners.

“We believe in connecting with trade partners and travellers to discover exactly what they are looking for, so that we can serve that. We know that this flight is exactly what Europeans and Germans are looking for. And once you land at Kruger Mpumalanga, you can connect and enjoy the length and breadth of South Africa.” 

‘Hundreds of millions’ for the economy

The new flight, which opens the tantalising opportunity for tourists from across Europe to reach the Kruger National Park faster than ever before, has the potential to provide a multimillion-rand boost to the economy of the region.

“This significant and game-changing initiative, which has taken more than a year of planning, can inject hundreds of millions of rands into the local economy. And it emphasises the importance and responsibility that all of us as tourism stakeholders in both the private and public sectors collectively bear to ensure that this flight is a sustainable long-term success,” said MQP CEO, Grant Ponting.

Helmut Woelfel, Chief Commercial Officer of Eurowings Discover, pointed out that through the integration into the Lufthansa network, passengers benefit from the direct connection to all German and European Lufthansa departure points.

“As an airline, it is rare to find a destination anywhere in the world where Europe doesn’t connect to. We are thrilled at the fact that we are the first long-haul flight to Mpumalanga and the Kruger National Park,” said Woelfel. The Eurowings Discover brand started operations in July 2021 with flights to Mombasa and Zanzibar, and has since expanded to Windhoek, Kilimanjaro and Victoria Falls.

Marketing locally and internationally

All stakeholders have highlighted the importance of effectively marketing the route in both South Africa and Germany. On board the inaugural flight were representatives from 25 German travel agencies.

“Although the demand is huge, one of the main obstacles to overcome is familiarising the market with the new route, making clear that there is a more direct way to get to the KNP,” said Woelfel.

Locally, South African Tourism and provincial and local entities – including the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), the Mpumalanga Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism, and the City of Mbombela – will all play their respective roles in ensuring the sustainability of the flights.

“We are looking forward to working with these partners to implement effective marketing campaigns and realise the very real benefits, and come closer towards building MQP into a significant hub of domestic regional and intercontinental activity,” Ponting said.

Mduduzi Vilakazi, Acting CEO of MTPA, said the agency was excited to promote the destination and increase tourist numbers to the province.

“We look forward to providing our tourists from Germany with a memorable experience of wildlife, scenic beauty, adventure, culture and heritage.” 

The 305-seat A330 is configured with 30 seats in business class, 31 in premium economy and 244 in economy.  

Flight schedule

The flight departs FRA at 21h55 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, landing in WDH at 09h05 the following day, departing for MQP at 10h20, touching down at 12h45.

The return flights leave MQP at 15h40 on Wednesdays and Sundays, landing at WDH at 18h15. The flight leaves for FRA at 20h00, landing at 05h35 the following day.