Andrew
Senior Reporter
Lufthansa’s long-haul leisure airline, Eurowings Discover, will make its inaugural flight into Victoria Falls on Wednesday, becoming the first intercontinental carrier to operate scheduled services to the resort city.
The airline will fly from Frankfurt, Germany, into Victoria Falls three times a week via Windhoek, Namibia, connecting Europe with Zimbabwe.
Eurowings Discover is 100 percent-owned by Lufthansa Group and has been flying into Windhoek since September.
Airports Company of Zimbabwe chief executive officer Mr Tawanda Gusha said air traffic into the country has recovered to around 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
“For us, the increase in the number of airlines operating in the country is a sign of confidence,” said Mr Gusha.
“It is a sign of confidence in destination Zimbabwe and also an endorsement of the country’s Covid-19 health protocols.
“There are more airlines which we are in negotiations with.
“It is obviously too early to pre-empt, but there have been positive inquiries from a number of airlines.”
In a statement, Lufthansa said Eurowings will become the first intercontinental airline to operate scheduled services to Victoria Falls.
“From end of March to mid-November 2022, three weekly services will be operated as tag legs with onward flight to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
“The route is offered on Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays with a short stopover in Windhoek,” reads the statement.
A fortnight ago, low-cost carrier Fastjet launched a new service connecting Victoria Falls and Kruger-Mpumalanga in South Africa.
In June, Fastjet will launch another service between the resort city and Maun in Botswana.
There are currently 14 airlines operating in the country, including Qatar Airways, Emirates, British Comair, Ethiopian Airlines and LAM, among others.
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