German national carrier Lufthansa Group has launched a new long-haul, non-stop flight from Johannesburg to Munich after a 19-year hiatus in a bid to boost the economies of South Africa and Germany.
The inaugural flight landed at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday morning, with the touchdown of a Lufthansa Airbus A350.
It marks a significant addition to Lufthansas network as 34% more seats are offered from Johannesburg.
The Munich route, one of Lufthansas two major hubs, opens up around 130 global destinations for South African travellers, including Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East. The route had been part of Lufthansas schedule until 2005 and is poised to reconnect South Africa to one of Germanys most important economic centres.
Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter said Munich was a convenient hub to take advantage of numerous onwards flights.
