Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - German airline Eurowings Discover is forging ahead with its plan to launch its first service in Mpumalanga within the next two weeks.
The move happens just weeks after the murder of 67-year-old German tourist Jörg Schnarr.
He was gunned down in a botched hijacking along the R538 Numbi Road, which connects with the Kruger National Park (KNP) via Hazyview area earlier this month.
Representatives of the German airline company, the Lufthansa Group, will join Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport staff members and provincial tourism authorities in South Africa on November 16 to witness the first touch-down of a flight from Frankfurt to Mbombela. The flight is expected to arrive at 12.45pm.
“We are awaiting the arrival of the Eurowing flight with so much anticipation and excitement. I would like to congratulate all the stakeholders who have made this possible, from the private and the public sector,” said Kruger Lowveld Tourism and Business Chamber chairperson Oupa Pilane.
Pilane said the intercontinental route was an opportunity for tourism businesses around Mbombela and the Kruger to experience an influx of visitors to their areas of trade.
“Once again we would like to condemn the killing of the German tourist. Our hearts remain broken over the incident, but are comforted that our relationship with European visitors to the province of the rising sun remains intact. We are hopeful that the law will take its course as we now have a suspect in custody.
“We would like to assure all European visitors that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that they are safe and have a memorable experience when they visit Mpumalanga,” Pilane said.
Eurowings Discover’s chief commercial officer Helmut Woelfel said their aircraft would fly three times a week between the launch date and March 25 next year. The flights from Frankfurt will also land in the KNP, with a stopover in Windhoek, Namibia.
Pretoria News