KLM to Namibia - anyone have any experience? Any better options?

[zambezi]

Since SAA started charging $100 for firearm carriage, I am now looking for alternate carriers to southern africa. I have seen positive reports on Qatar Airways, one comment on lost ammunition in Addis, but nothing specific on KLM. Yet a flight search today shows they deliver competitive flights into southern africa with no additional firearm carriage charging.

One admin overhead might be the need to apply for a Dutch firearms transit permit? I cannot divine if that is still required if we hold a EU firearms pass. Any experience out there?

 

[Sika98k]

A bloke I know is heading down to Namibia next month with KLM. Yes, I believe he had to apply for a transit document but fairly hassle free.
I have used Ethiopian Airlines the last couple of times. The price is very good and the Dreamliner quite comfortable.

 

[Sika98k]

And we got our ammunition back from Addis Ababa ! Took a while but I persevered.

 

[tusker]

Just spoke with a mate who returned from South Africa last week. He flew SA. And was not charged for the rifles he took. Can anyone she'd some light on the situation.
Tusker

 

[zambezi]

Just spoke with a mate who returned from South Africa last week. He flew SA. And was not charged for the rifles he took. Can anyone she'd some light on the situation.
Tusker

Hi Tusker: 17th May 2019 was first time firearm carriage charge was introduced by SAA. Per my link to the SAA website above, this is real. 1st hand experience of the charge is by MikeZZZ on this forum and his 17/05/2019 LHR experience is on this thread.

 

[Perthshire High Seat]

Since SAA started charging $100 for firearm carriage, I am now looking for alternate carriers to southern africa. I have seen positive reports on Qatar Airways, one comment on lost ammunition in Addis, but nothing specific on KLM. Yet a flight search today shows they deliver competitive flights into southern africa with no additional firearm carriage charging.

One admin overhead might be the need to apply for a Dutch firearms transit permit? I cannot divine if that is still required if we hold a EU firearms pass. Any experience out there?

Never traveled with firearms with KLM but have traveled with them for work,,,, I have also turned down jobs ,,, lost money because I refuse to travel with them,, they have got to be the most ignorant airline going,,, I simply REFUSE to travel KLM,,, its your choice
Ray

 

[Dickie]

Wasn’t there something about when going with KLM via Amsterdam/ Schipol that lots of luggage not meeting connections, this was a while back and not firearms related.

 

[Heym SR20]

We flew Eurowings last year to Namibia. A short hop to Cologne and the straight down to Windhoek. There looked to be plenty of German hunters joining at cologne.

 

[tusker]

We flew Eurowings last year to Namibia. A short hop to Cologne and the straight down to Windhoek. There looked to be plenty of German hunters joining at cologne.

What was the cost, how was the transfer at Cologne?
Tusker

 

[Heym SR20]

What was the cost, how was the transfer at Cologne?
Tusker

Cost was I think £1,500 or so for three of us flying extra legroom economy. Transfer at Cologne was not an issue - on way out we flew into Cologne early evening, and rather than waiting in departures went through into main airport and got a decent meal and then flew out 11pm ish and arrived in Windhoek early following morning. In departures there is not a lot - couple of coffee shops etc.

On way back had about an hour wait and then flew into T2 at Heathrow.

They fly from Cologne and Frankfurt - Cologne is a small airport, Frankfurt is a bit bigger. Both pretty efficient, and from memory they do all the security check at the gate before boarding.

Windhoek again is a small airport - nice and clean and reasonably efficient.

 

[Heym SR20]

My advice as well based on my fathers experience of several trips a year to Africa is to avoid changeovers as far as possible in Africa. If you can do your change over in Europe and then fly direct. Africa works differently to the UK or Europe and you need to be very very patient.

My thinking on rifles for Africa is that whilst deer rifles are adequate for most smaller plains game, something heavier is generally required and very depends on locality. In Namibia most game is shot at 300m and you need something that is accurate and hard hitting especially for Gemsbok etc. In the rest of Africa in the bush it's often a closer range prospect, but hard hitting is still required.

In the UK, given our firearms licencing, anything much above 30-06 / 300 win mag has its challenges in terms of getting it licensed to use, then actually being able to use to become proficient etc with it and to get sufficient ammo etc, and this combined with challenges and embuggerance of flying with rifles and ammo (mostly at the UK end), you may be better off speaking with your hunting destination and using their rifles instead of the pain of acquiring a big calibre and then getting it there.

Last year we had a family holiday, but did manage to include a couple of days hunting at one lodge where we stayed. I used my guides rifle - a Ruger African in 375 Ruger - we had a few shots on his gongs out to 300 and it was spot on. Now if the Kudu and Gemsbok I had got into only moved slightly to allow the broken horned scruffy one to be shot I would have been successful. Instead the Kudu I could easily have shot is my Avatar - took it instead with a 300mm lense. Too good and bit too young to take. I had no issues with travelling with rifles etc.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Kent FEO refused me a .338 Win Mag on my UK ticket for shooting in UK even on UK ranges but allowed the posession for possible trips to Alaska etc. Even though it is listed on my German WBK.

 

[tusker]

Cost was I think £1,500 or so for three of us flying extra legroom economy. Transfer at Cologne was not an issue - on way out we flew into Cologne early evening, and rather than waiting in departures went through into main airport and got a decent meal and then flew out 11pm ish and arrived in Windhoek early following morning. In departures there is not a lot - couple of coffee shops etc.

On way back had about an hour wait and then flew into T2 at Heathrow.

They fly from Cologne and Frankfurt - Cologne is a small airport, Frankfurt is a bit bigger. Both pretty efficient, and from memory they do all the security check at the gate before boarding.

Windhoek again is a small airport - nice and clean and reasonably efficient.

just looked at Eurowings website and they are not flying to Windhoek. What time of year did you go?
Tusker

 

[zambezi]

...just looked at Eurowings website and they are not flying to Windhoek.

I saw that too. Is it that we need to book with Eurowings for the LHR-CGN hop, and then Lufthansa for the CGN-WDH leg separately?

 

[Tazz]

I flew SAA from Heathrow to Johannesburg then on to Windhoek in April this year because guns are classified as “sporting equipment” they were free and checked right through to Windhoek in Namibia so no need for a long lay over to sort all the paperwork with the SA police in Jberg, this was business class so that may have a bearing on it

Word of caution, if you book a two leg trip with a single carrier and you get a delay and miss the second leg the carrier is duty bound to still get you there, if you book two separate flights with two separate carriers you are on your own if something goes wrong and a delay causes you to miss the connecting flight

I would be interested in other SD guys experiences of flying to Namibia with Qatar

 

[zambezi]

I flew SAA from Heathrow to Johannesburg then on to Windhoek in April this year because guns are classified as “sporting equipment” they were free

That has changed. NOT free as of this week.

 

[Heym SR20]

just looked at Eurowings website and they are not flying to Windhoek. What time of year did you go?
Tusker

It was July last year

 

[Tazz]

Guys Eurowings do to fly to Namibia, you can use them to fly to a number of European hub airports but you then need another carrier to take you to Windhoek

 

[zambezi]

So...its probably KLM or Qatar to get to Windhoek from Heathrow