THE Lufthansa Group, in collaboration with the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) yesterday welcomed the inaugural flight of Eurowings Discover at the Hosea Kutako International Airport.
The flight touched down at the airport as the brand new leisure airline, Eurowings Discover, commenced operations from Frankfurt to Windhoek.
NAC chief executive officer (CEO) Bisey /Uirab said the flight would offer greater air connectivity to the European market and the rest of the world.
The continuation and expansion of the direct flight connection from Frankfurt to Windhoek will contribute to making travelling more convenient and seamless.
“This will culminate in an increase in passenger movement and revenue generation. We remain committed to providing improved customer services at our airport, which is currently under renovation,” he said.
Esther Kaapanda, the executive director of works and transport, said the launch has come at an opportune time.
She said the Lufthansa Group continues to be a strategic partner in promoting Namibia as logistics hub in southern Africa, and a preferred tourist destination in line with national development endeavours.
“The arrival of Eurowings Discover at our international airport brings renewed hope to revive tourism, and generate economic development, business and trade during these challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Kaapanda.
Captain Wolfgang Raebiger, who is also the CEO of the new airline, operated the first flight to Windhoek, which was welcomed with an event and special guests, including German ambassador Herbert Beck.
“This flight marks an important milestone for our new airline, Eurowings Discover. Starting from today, we will take over the route between Germany and Namibia, which has been served successfully over the past years by the Lufthansa Group already.
“Windhoek has always been a popular holiday destination for travellers from all over the world, and we are happy to continue offering our customers the possibility to travel to this beautiful country – even with an increased schedule.
“By handing over this route to its new leisure airline, the Lufthansa Group emphasises both the importance of Namibia as a destination in its tourism portfolio, as well as its commitment to the southern African region,” Raebiger said.
“In celebrating the launch of Eurowings Discover touching down for the first time on Namibian soil, not only are we making history today, but we are also offering our Namibian customers an opportunity to reconnect with their families and friends abroad at very competitive fares,” he said.
Eurowings Discover is the only European airline currently offering direct flights to Namibia.
Email: bottomline@namibian.com.na
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