The Lufthansa Group has announced that it will operate an unprecedented number of flights between Europe and South Africa during the 2026-27 northern winter/southern summer season, starting at the end of October. Extra flights will take the total number of flights operated to and from South Africa by the Lufthansa and SWISS airlines to 38 a week.
“South Africa is one of Lufthansa Group’s most important long-haul markets in Africa, and our [northern] winter 2026-27 schedule reflects that confidence,” affirms Lufthansa Group Airlines senior director North, East and Southern Africa René Koinzack. “With more flights, better overnight timings from Johannesburg and our latest cabin products on key routes, we are giving South African travellers more choice, more comfort and stronger access into Europe and beyond. This is a historic moment for the Lufthansa Group in South Africa.”
Lufthansa will add two flights between Munich and Johannesburg, to take the frequency to five a week. These flights will be operated on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, using Airbus A350-900 airliners. (The Munich-Johannesburg route was only reinstated two years ago.) As a result of customer demand, the flights in both directions will be night flights, with the return flights, coded LH 579, leaving Johannesburg (OR Tambo International Airport) at 19:55 and reaching Munich at 05:00 the next day.
