Windhoek, Namibia welcomes its first European airline arrival since the international ban was implemented in March, six months ago. 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.
The real question however is whether there were paying travellers on board given Germany’s restrictions on outbound travel. Not to mention its financial crisis extending into job cuts.
