In the first quarter of the year, the Lufthansa Group made a series of announcements that it would not just increase flights to Southern and East Africa on existing routes, but also revive and establish new routes.
Lufthansa’s ability to respond to demand was evident in 2023, during which there was a marked increase in business and leisure travel between Africa and Europe, in part driven by the need for flights to Namibia. In response, Discover Airlines increased its Frankfurt-Windhoek-Victoria Falls service to 10 weekly departures year-round from the end of March last year.
In September 2023, the group said it would introduce a new direct route between Johannesburg and Munich from June 4. However, Lufthansa has said it has moved the start date to accommodate the additional routes it has now added.
“This year, we will further increase our services in South Africa. As of September 3, we will launch the new Johannesburg to Munich route,” confirmed René Koinzack, Lufthansa Senior Director of Sales, Southern & East Africa, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
The announcements for Lufthansa’s African network expansions are the first of many.
This year, its subsidiary, Brussels Airlines, said its fleet expansion would allow it to grow its African network, particularly in Kenya, with the revival of Nairobi flights and the introduction of Mombasa flights, the latter of which is yet to be announced.
Brussels Airlines’ resumption of flights to Nairobi follows a nine-year hiatus. From June 3, the carrier will operate up to six flights a week during the Northern hemisphere summer and reduce the flights to four weekly during the winter. Additionally, it will increase flights to Kigali to daily, starting June 4.
The Lufthansa Group has a strong presence in Southern Africa. Its subsidiaries – Lufthansa, SWISS, Discover Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and Edelweiss – operate services from key locations, including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mauritius.
“South Africa is of great importance to the Lufthansa Group. Our operation in the country over more than 55 years underscores this,” concluded Koinzack.
