Germans will be able to bypass Joburg and Cape Town, fly straight to Kruger

[RogerFraser]

https://www.businessinsider.co.za/lufth ... ica-2022-2

From November, Germans will be able to bypass Joburg and Cape Town, fly straight to Kruger



Eurowings Discover, part of the German-based Lufthansa Group, will begin flying from Frankfurt to Mbombela in Mpumlanga from mid-November, offering travellers direct access to the Kruger National Park.

Eurowings Discover is the new leisure arm of Lufthansa, focusing entirely on tourist travel to destinations like Zanzibar, Mauritius, the Canary Islands, and Caribbean. The airline, which operates a fleet of Airbus A330 and A320 planes, will add its first South African destination in November, coinciding with its winter schedule.

The airline will fly three times a week from Frankfurt to Mbombela, using Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, with a short stopover in Windhoek. The new route is aimed at bringing European tourists directly to the doorstep of the Kruger National Park.

"We are very excited to be commencing scheduled flights to greater Kruger National Park region as the first intercontinental airline ever,” said Helmut Woelfel, chief commercial officer of Eurowings Discover, in a statement on Friday.

“Not only is it a truly unique destination but it also marks the first South African destination in our portfolio – needless to emphasise the attractiveness and popularity of South Africa among European holidaymakers.”

Woelfel added that the airline’s African schedule was especially popular with European tourists and that Eurowings Discover would be expanding its flights to the continent in the future.

The introduction of flights from Germany to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport is expected to provide a major boost for the national park, at a time when South Africa’s tourism sector has been decimated by Covid-19 and its associated travel restrictions.

“The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) delightedly welcomes the fulfilment of the dream of landing our first direct overseas flight from Europe, Frankfurt in Germany,” said Johannes Nobunga, CEO of MTPA.

“This is a game changing achievement as we intensify the implementation of the Mpumalanga tourism recovery plan after the devastating effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism industry. We look forward to providing our tourists with a memorable experience of wildlife, scenic beauty, adventure, culture, and heritage.”

(Compiled by Luke Daniel)

[Mel]

Crazy

[Richprins]

Good news!

[Lisbeth]

Well, Frankfurt is in the middle of Europe, but still it seems a daring enterprise economically.

It would be great to avoid Johannesburg, but the time and cost For the Germans but from the rest of Europe I'll have to do some maths, when it becomes official

[Dzombo]

It may be worth while if you live in / near Frankfurt.
But anywhere else ??? Not so sure.

For myself for eg :
Would have to fly from one of the London airports to Frankfurt first.
Then it says it stops in Windhoek
And then on to KMI
Bit of a palaver.
I could fly direct from Heathrow to Jhb, and then to KMI from there. Probably a lot quicker.

[Lisbeth]

Windhoek to Vic Falls with Eurowings Discover

Lufthansa Group’s airline, Eurowings Discover, will now offer flights between Windhoek and Victoria Falls in Southern Africa.


The majestic Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is a popular tourism spot within Southern Africa. Photo: Phil Parsons / flickr

The German Lufthansa Group will now offer tickets for flights between two tourism centres in Southern Africa – Namibia’s Windhoek and Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls.

According to Travel News, these flights will be operated by Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa’s long-haul leisure airline, and may be booked via the Global Distribution System (GDS). Round-trip flights from Windhoek start from NAD 4 560 (R4613), inclusive of taxes. Round-trip flights from Victoria Falls start from US$310 (R4 540), inclusive of taxes.

Fifth freedom rights for Lufthansa and Eurowings Discover

Lufthansa GM Southern and East Africa, Dr André Schulz, explained that Lufthansa Group had obtained fifth freedom rights.

• “Today, I am particularly excited to inform you that Lufthansa Group has obtained fifth freedom rights, which enables our customers to purchase tickets on the regional tag flight between Windhoek-Victoria Falls-Windhoek, promoting regional tourism between Namibia and Zimbabwe.”

Fifth freedom rights allow a particular airline to carry revenue traffic between foreign countries as a part of services connecting the airline’s own country. It refers to the right to carry passengers from the airline’s own country to a second country, and passengers from that country onward to a third country.

Fifth freedom rights are rather rare within Africa, but is quite commonplace in Europe.

Dr Schulz also added that due to positive booking trends and popularity, Lufthansa was increasing its capacity into the Namibian market by offering a further three flights per week between Frankfurt and Windhoek from July to September.

[Lisbeth]

Fastjet to connect Vic Falls and Kruger National Park

Fastjet Zimbabwe recently launched flights to connect Zimbabwe’s tourist hotspot town, Victoria Falls and South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The scheduled flights will operate three times a week, via Mbombela Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and Victoria Falls Airport. Travel News reports that these flights, for now only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, could run to a daily frequency come July.

This new route will be a welcome boost for tourism between the two countries, and will also serve to highlight two of Southern Africa’s most popular tourist attractions.

Nunurai Ndawana, spokesperson for Fastjet Zimbabwe, said:

• “We are delighted to be adding another crucial direct flight connection to Victoria Falls. We believe this route will facilitate accelerated travel between these two globally recognised tourism destinations of Zimbabwe and South Africa, thereby massively contributing to the restart of tourism in the region.”

Fastjet flight schedule

Scheduled services will be onboard a 50-seater Embraer ERJ145 aircraft and flights will depart Victoria Falls Airport at 10:30, arriving in Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport at 11:15. The return flights depart Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport at 12:45 and arrive in Victoria Falls Airport at 14:30.

Fastjet Group Chief Commercial Officer, Julian Edmunds said that response for the new route has so far been overwhelmingly positive.

• “Our nonstop service from Victoria Falls to Mbombela Kruger Mpumalanga will benefit a variety of travellers, especially those that want to maximise their holiday by exploring multiple Southern African destinations in a single visit,” he stated.

KMIA to also see direct flights from Germany

Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) will also likely see an influx of German tourists in November, when Lufthansa’s long-haul leisure brand, Eurowings Discover, begins scheduled direct flights between Frankfurt and Kruger National Park.

Eurowings Discover is scheduled to fly three times a week from Frankfurt to KMIA, with a short stopover in Windhoek during its first season starting 15 November 2022 to 25 March 2023.