LH 576, the first commercial Lufthansa flight to Cape Town since the lifting of the international travel ban, was welcomed at Cape Town International Airport at 10am this morning with a ceremonial water salute, having departed Frankfurt the evening before on 7 October at 10.15am
Lufthansa will be operating the Cape Town to Frankfurt direct service using an Airbus A340-300. LH 577 is a twice-weekly flight operating on Mondays and Fridays with all flights departing in the evening and landing at their destination in the morning.
"Lufthansa is pleased to be resuming flights to Cape Town, marking a return to our regular scheduled service between South Africa and Germany, following last week’s flight between Frankfurt and Johannesburg that was the first international long haul flight to return to South Africa.
The Western Cape remains an attractive destination for European holidaymakers and as Lufthansa’s flight schedule to South African is now fully operational we remain committed to continuing to support the restart of international travel into South Africa as a major airline partner for the local tourism sector," says Dr. André Schulz, general manager Southern Africa & East Africa Lufthansa Group Airlines.
Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro, added: "Following the re-opening of international borders, we're pleased to welcome Lufthansa Airlines back to Cape Town and the Western Cape. Lufthansa provides a vital connection to the German market, which is the second largest source market for travel to Cape Town International Airport, and an important trade and investment partner to the Western Cape. Cape Town and the Western Cape is open, we're confident the destination is ready, and we welcome the world back to enjoy our province safely."
The warm welcome was supported by Deon Cloete, general manager Cape Town International Airport: "It’s wonderful to welcome yet another familiar and long serving airline partner back in the CTIA stable. The distinct Lufthansa colours and tail back on our ramp makes us mighty pleased. Welcome back Lufthansa - we are ready to efficiently and safely facilitate all airport passengers through our airport."
Reinstating direct weekly routes between Germany and South Africa offers key benefits to both countries. South Africa is not only an important hub for trade and business but also a renowned world-class tourist destination. A direct route to Lufthansa’s largest airport hub, Frankfurt offers local travellers, connections to over a hundred worldwide destinations easily reached via transfer from the airport.
The other Lufthansa Group carriers are also resuming their operations into South Africa. Swiss International Air Lines resumed its commercial operation last week with a once weekly nonstop service from Zurich to Johannesburg. This flight carried businesspeople and essential service workers coming into South Africa for work purposes. Vienna based Austrian Airlines also recently announced their plans to resume their flight to Cape Town in mid-December 2020.
As of now, all flights can be booked immediately through the usual distribution channels and the airlines’ website www.lufthansa.com. German tourists entering South Africa are permitted to get a 90-day visa on arrival, the same regulation that applied pre-Covid-19.
Important notes for passengers:
The Lufthansa Group has taken special hygiene measures to protect passengers and employees. These apply not only on board, but also before and after the journey. Details of these measures can be found at www.lufthansa.com/de/en/protection-measures. Passengers are required to check travel and destination entry requirements before departure.
According to the current regulations, passengers entering South Africa are required to present a negative Covid-19 test result not older than 72 hours from time of departure. International travellers will require mandatory travel insurance, which covers the cost of a Covid-19 test and a 10-day quarantine period if needed. Additionally, travellers will need to show proof of accommodation in South Africa on entry in the event self-quarantine is required.
For those travelling to and from Germany, Lufthansa and its partners offer Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests at walk-in testing centers within Frankfurt (as well as Munich and Hamburg) airport.
