Namibia has almost doubled its international connectivity within three years, reinforcing the country’s growing appeal as a premier tourism and investment destination in southern Africa.
This comes after an announcement that Edelweiss Air will increase its upcoming non-stop service between Zürich Airport (ZRH) and Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport from two to three weekly flights from 15 July.
Edelweiss Air AG is a Swiss leisure airline and the sister company of Swiss International Air Lines and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. It operates flights to European and intercontinental destinations from its base at Zürich airport.
According to a statement from Namibia Airports Company chief executive and Air Connect Namibia chairman Bisey /Uirab, Edelweiss will run two weekly flights from 1 June and increase the frequency to three flights from 15 July.
“The additional third weekly frequency is currently planned for Edelweiss’ first season of operation on the Zürich-Windhoek route,” he says.
/Uirab says in 2023, Namibia’s airports served 10 international destinations and by mid-2026, that number is expected to increase to 17 destinations via direct or non-stop services, indicating that Namibia is close to doubling international connectivity within a three-year period.
“Between 2023 and the envisaged 2026 period, Namibia added the most connections to international cities becoming the leading performer in southern Africa.
“Namibia also achieved the largest capacity growth of 18% among southern African countries without a designated national airline connection that is expected to be operational by the end of 2026,” /Uirab says.
“The increased frequency will provide travellers from Switzerland and surrounding European markets with greater flexibility, improved seat availability and more convenient itinerary options when travelling to Namibia, particularly during our July to October tourism season,” he says.
The increase will also support increased inbound tourism to Namibia’s iconic destinations, including Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, the Skeleton Coast and other high-value tourism regions across the country.
“The Edelweiss announcement is a strong vote of confidence in both our country and the long-term potential of the Zürich-Windhoek service.”
Switzerland remained one of Namibia’s most important European source markets in 2025, ranking as the country’s fifth-largest with an estimated 24 200 two-way international origin-destination passengers.
Passenger volumes had already increased 9% in 2025 when compared to 2024, highlighting the growing demand for travel between the two countries.
With the addition of a third weekly frequency, the Lufthansa Group – through Edelweiss and Discover Airlines – will operate 13 direct weekly flights between its European gateways and Windhoek.
The group will contribute more than 152 000 annual seats, further strengthening Namibia’s position as a key access point to European markets, /Uirab says.
– email: matthew@namibian.com.na
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