Airlink relocates daily Namibia flight from Cape Town to Jo'burg

Flying from Europe to Namibia with a stopover in Johannesburg? South African airline Airlink is making this route even more attractive. As reported by news portal The Brief, it is doubling the number of flights from Johannesburg to Walvis Bay – from one to two flights a day.

Until now, you could only fly directly from the hub of southern Africa to the coast of Namibia at 10:20 a.m. Now it is also possible in the afternoon at 2:05 p.m. The flight takes two and a half hours, hardly longer than the flight to Windhoek.

However, according to Namibia's flight schedule, the number of Airlink flights to Namibia remains the same. This is because it has simultaneously cancelled a daily connection from Cape Town to Walvis Bay. The flight was operated in partnership with the Namibian airline FlyNamibia.

Walvis Bay as the starting point for a tour of Namibia

But don't round trips through Namibia start in Windhoek? Mostly yes. However, some tour operators also offer tours from the port city. You can also hire a car there.

The new Airlink flight "is a strategic link that reinforces Walvis Bay's role as a Southern African trade, investment and tourism hub," The Brief quotes the managing director of Namibia Airports Company (NAC), Bisey /Uirab.

The port city is on the route to Sossusvlei in Namib Naukluft Park. But it's also a tourist destination in its own right, with catamaran trips to see the seals and 4x4 excursions to Sandwich Harbour. Neighbouring Swakopmund is a stop on most tours of Namibia.

Airlink flies a total of 45 times a week from South Africa to Namibia. There are six flights from Cape Town to Walvis Bay, 14 from Johannesburg to Walvis Bay and 25 from Johannesburg to Windhoek. The Windhoek flights are spread over four per weekday, two per Saturday and three per Sunday.

Many European tourists to Namibia choose the route via Johannesburg. Ethiopian Airlines  offers a daily connection with a stopover in Addis Ababa. Discover Airlines flies non-stop to Windhoek ten times a week – daily from Frankfurt and on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Munich.

Sven-Eric Stender