• Air Operator Certificate issued by the German Federal Aviation Authority on June 16, 2021
• Inaugural flight on July 24 from Frankfurt to Mombasa with onward flight to Zanzibar
• Additional destinations in the 2021 summer flight schedule: Punta Cana, Windhoek, Las Vegas and Mauritius

Now it is official: Just in time for the current steep rise in demand for holiday bookings, the Lufthansa Group's new leisure airline is ready for take-off. With the issuance of its operating license and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) by the German Federal Aviation Authority, the young start-up airline Eurowings Discover has successfully completed the final stage on its way to independent flight operations. The certificate was issued by the German Federal Aviation Authority on June 16.

"The timing could not be better. People can finally travel again and we are all set to fly them to the world's most beautiful destinations," explains Wolfgang Raebiger, CEO of Eurowings Discover. "We have built an airline in just one year – an ambitious goal that we have achieved with the great support from the entire Lufthansa Group, a motivated team and in close cooperation with the German Federal Aviation Authority. We wish to express our sincere gratitude to everyone.”

Eurowings Discover is also the first airline ever in Germany to receive an unlimited permit under a new aviation law requirement known as partial CAMO (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization).

Inaugural flight to Mombasa with onward flight to Zanzibar

The Lufthansa Group's newest airline takes off on July 24 from its home base in Frankfurt am Main for its inaugural flight to Mombasa with onward service to Zanzibar. In August, the flight schedule will be filled with further attractive long-haul destinations: Thus, in addition to two weekly frequencies to Mombasa/Zanzibar, starting in August there will also be three flights a week to Punta Cana and five flights a week to Windhoek. In October, Eurowings Discover will also be flying three times a week to Las Vegas and Mauritius.

In the 2021 winter flight schedule, Bridgetown, Montego Bay and Varadero will be added with three weekly frequencies each. In addition, the flight program will be expanded from November to include short- and medium-haul flights to the Canary Islands, Egypt and Morocco.

Before the start of long-haul operations at the end of July, Eurowings Discover plans to operate selected continental flights as wet lease for Lufthansa Group airline Air Dolomiti (EN) from mid-July in order to gradually ramp up operations and ensure a smooth start on long-haul routes.

Its fleet will consist of a maximum of eleven aircraft in total this year and will grow to 21 aircraft by the middle of next year (10x Airbus A320 and 11x Airbus A330). All aircraft are coming from to the Lufthansa Group fleet pool.

Thanks to full integration into the Lufthansa feeder network, travelers will benefit from end-to-end booking processes and seamless transfer traffic. All flights can already be booked on lufthansa.com - currently under Lufthansa flight number (LH). The shift to Eurowings Discover flight number “4Y” is scheduled for the week of the inaugural flight.