Niël Terblanché
Hundreds of Belgian, Dutch, and German tourists have been stranded at Namibia’s Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA) for four days due to repeated flight cancellations by Eurowings Discover, a subsidiary of Germany’s national airline, Lufthansa.
The ordeal started when a defective part grounded the scheduled Airbus A330-300 operating flight 4Y139 to Frankfurt last Thursday.
Since then, passengers were informed of a new departure time, only to face further delays.
This cycle has left many travellers in a state of frustration and uncertainty, particularly during the peak travel season when rebooking options are limited.
According to Bisey Uirab, the chief executive officer of the Namibia Airports Company, the technical problem with the aircraft was eventually resolved after the airline sent technicians with the correct part to HKIA over the weekend.
“The aircraft was repaired and the stranded passengers started to depart Namibia on Sunday,” he confirmed.
According to the Aviation24 website, passengers have expressed significant dissatisfaction with Lufthansa’s handling of the situation, citing poor communication and inadequate support.
“With only one flight departing daily from Namibia to Europe, many are left in limbo, unsure when they will return home,” the report states.
In response, Lufthansa has assured that efforts are underway to resolve the situation safely but acknowledged the logistical challenges involved.
According to flight records found on the Flightera website, flight 4Y139, operated by Eurowings Discover, was scheduled to depart Windhoek at 19:55 on 1 January, arriving in Frankfurt early on 2 January.
However, due to technical issues, the flight did not depart as planned.
For nearly a week after people had to start departing Namibia, Eurowings Discover advised passengers to stay in close contact with the airline for updates and to explore alternative travel arrangements where possible.
