Lufthansa resumes flights between Munich and Joburg after 19 years

Lufthansa is reintroducing its service between Munich and Johannesburg, marking the route's return after a 19-year hiatus.

The German airline, the second-largest in Europe, commenced flights on Tuesday.

The new service will operate three times a week year-round, using a 293-seat A350-900 aircraft. The 8,410km route will see flights LH578 and LH579 connecting Munich and Johannesburg.

Flight LH578 will depart Munich at 20:05 local time and arrive in Johannesburg at 06:10 local time the next morning. The return flight, LH579, will take off from Johannesburg at 08:20 local time on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, reaching Munich at 18:50 local time.

The airline's senior director for sales in southern and eastern Africa, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, Rene Koinzack, highlighted the significance of the new route.

“This inaugural flight is a milestone in our 62-year history in South Africa. Connecting Johannesburg with Munich is an exciting match as Bavaria and Gauteng both show a dynamic business environment, having economic ties in many sectors.

“Both destinations are also popular with leisure travellers who find numerous unique attractions — with the benefit of almost no time difference and, therefore, no jet lag. This huge capacity increase will also contribute to the tourism sector in South Africa,” said Koinzack.

The CEO of Airports Company South Africa, Mpumi Mpofu, expressed enthusiasm about the new connection.

“This new route is a significant milestone, not only for the aviation industry but also for our country. It heralds a new era of connectivity and collaboration between South Africa and Germany, boosting tourism and elevating travel offerings,” said Mpofu.

Gauteng's MEC for economic development and treasury, Lebogang Maile, said the route would enable South Africa to support major German companies.

“We welcome the inaugural direct Johannesburg-Munich flight after 19 years that will support key levers of the province’s trade, investment and tourism strategy. With this direct flight, we will be able to support major German companies like BMW and Siemens housed in our province with their parts and components needs overnight,” said Maile. 

The Munich-Johannesburg service was last operated by Lufthansa in October 2005. The airline also offers flights from Frankfurt to Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The Munich-Cape Town service will resume this winter season. Additionally, South Africa is served by SWISS from Zurich to Johannesburg, part of the Lufthansa Group.

For the upcoming winter season, the Lufthansa Group will operate 30 weekly flights from its hubs to South Africa.

This includes daily services from Frankfurt and Zurich to Johannesburg, daily flights between Munich and Cape Town, six weekly Frankfurt-Cape Town flights, and the new Munich-Johannesburg service.

The Lufthansa Group will provide just over 8,600 weekly seats in each direction.

TimesLIVE