Discover Airlines: Vicfalls To Be Cancelled, Windhoek To Be Continued

13 May 2025

 

From the end of November, it will no longer be possible to fly directly from Frankfurt to Victoria Falls. Discover Airlines is removing this destination from its programme. On the Windhoek (WDH) - Victoria Falls (VFA) route, the capacity utilisation of the aircraft with 300 seats is too low, the holiday airline responded to a query from Namibian.org.

"The route has developed very well and we are proud that we were able to help build it up," explained spokesperson Leonie Bueb. "But our partner FlyNamibia also operates the route and we have a great interlining partnership."

Discover launched the flights from Frankfurt via Windhoek to VicFalls in April 2022. Thanks to the necessary fifth freedom rights, the airline was also able to offer the Windhoek - VicFalls route also separately.

However, it took a break on this route already from November 2022 to March 2023. Instead, it flew from Windhoek to Kruger Park, with the aim of having this direct flight in the programme all year round. In April 2023, however, Discover abandoned this plan (see Travel News Africa report ) and returned to VicFalls.

Seamless transfer to VicFalls, Maun and Katima

The private airline FlyNamibia has been flying from Windhoek to VicFalls in Zimbabwe since April last year. It also offers three flights a week, almost at the same time as Discover (10.15 a.m.), but on different days. Instead of Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, they take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The interlining partnership ensures that Discover Airlines and FlyNamibia flights can be combined in one booking. This means you can change flights seamlessly in Windhoek, with through-checked baggage. The same applies to Maun on the Okavango Delta in Botswana and Katima Mulilo on the Zambezi River.

Discover Airlines will continue to fly to Namibia ten times a week after November, assures Bueb. "Windhoek is and will remain one of our most important long-haul destinations. We only fly to Calgary and Orlando with the same frequency."

At the beginning of April, the airline 'relocated' three of its ten Namibia flights a week from Frankfurt to Munich. In doing so, it hopes to attract even more passengers from southern Germany and neighbouring countries. Discover now departs daily from Frankfurt and on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Munich to Windhoek (see report by Namibian.org).

Sven-Eric Stender