For some background information, Discover Airlines offers flights to 14 African cities spanning 9 countries from both Frankfurt and Munich, one of them being Windhoek, Namibia. Discover Airlines announced they would be launching a nonstop flight connecting Munich to Windhoek starting April 1st, 2025. This flight is a year-round offering that departs Munich 3 times weekly. With this in mind, please enjoy reading this trip report!
Server: Expert
Airline: Discover Airlines
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Route: Munich International Airport > Hosea Kutako International Airport
Estimated Flight time: 9 hours and 55 minutes
Almost 9PM and boarding has just begun at terminal 2, gate H18. Having bought an economy ticket, I am in the last group to board the plane. I also have a cup of coffee that I got from the food court close to an hour ago, but I am unsure if I can bring it onboard with me, so I’m going to try and quickly finish it now while standing in line.
Just sat down on seat 34A. The cabin of the plane looks and feels very modern, and has vibrant blue tones and high quality entertainment screens. The seats feel like one of those massage chairs that you see at the mall, but without the massaging, of course. I’m also able to connect my AirPods to the entertainment system, which is nice!
A few minutes after departure from Munich International Airport’s runway 08R, the roar of those RR engines was almost unreal. Like every A330, the climb to our cruising altitude is going to be quite slow. One cool thing about the city of Munich is that since it has a high northern latitude, the sun takes longer to set, not going down completely by almost 10 p.m.
Just about nearing our cruising altitude of 40,000 feet now, passing over the Alps and the city of Innsbruck. In about an hour, we’ll be passing over Milan, at which point we can expect our main food service to begin.
Leveled off at our cruising altitude about half an hour ago, and now we are over the Tyrrhenian Sea just off the coast of Italy. Food service began a couple of minutes ago, and I decided to go with the beef & potato gratin with a glass of a water and crackers on the side. I have to admit, for airplane food, it wasn’t half bad!
Having successfully fallen asleep after dinner, I slept through the entire flight and woke up just as we began our descent over northern Namibia. Passengers on the right side of the plane caught a view of Etosha National Park, but unfortunately, I’m seated on the left. I also decided to skip the second meal service, since I have plenty of snacks in my carry-on.
The descent into Windhoek was exciting, especially since I have so much planned for my stay. I also managed to capture a picture of the Swakop River, which you can see in the shot above. The view is definitely a sign of good things to come.
Touchdown on runway 26 at Hosea Kutako International Airport. I don’t often take trips to desert cities, so I have to admit, this is a nice switch-up. Everybody, including me, is very eager to get off this flight—not because we haven’t enjoyed it, but because we are excited to explore our new environment, except for those who call Windhoek home, of course.
Taxiing to gate 06, I can confidently say that Discover Airlines is one of the best carriers for long-haul travel. It definitely benefits from being a Lufthansa Group subsidiary, which also owns numerous other airlines.
Just deplaned, and honestly, it was such a relief to finally breathe some fresh air. Unfortunately for me, Hosea Kutako Airport doesn’t have any gates, so me and everybody else have to walk ourselves to the terminal. If you were wondering what I have planned to do here, let me tell you; Namibia offers some of the best safari tours ever, not to mention the dune surfing and nightlife in downtown Windhoek, and plenty more. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those trips I never want to end.