Discover Airlines is temporarily routing some flights from Windhoek to Frankfurt and Munich via Luanda after a jet-fuel shortage at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia disrupted normal refuelling. The Lufthansa Group leisure carrier is keeping the Namibia-Europe service running, but the extra technical stop will lengthen journey times and may affect connections on a key long-haul leisure route.
The issue centres on a local and temporary shortage in Jet A-1 supplies at Windhoek airport, with the Namibia Airports Company working to limit disruption. Flights were affected on Wednesday and Thursday, while Lufthansa said passengers who miss onward connections because of delays should be rebooked automatically. Cargo operations could also face knock-on effects.
The disruption highlights how quickly fuel-supply bottlenecks can affect thin intercontinental routes with limited operational flexibility. For now, no timetable has been given for a return to nonstop operations, and it remains unclear whether additional services will require the same refuelling arrangement if shortages continue.