Flying to Africa



The Harare International Airport

Airfares can be cheaper when booked from the European capital that has a strong colonial link to your destination, which typically means from Brussels, Lisbon, London, and Paris. Egypt also has plentiful, cheap connections with the Middle East & Europe, Kenya, which is increasingly an important air travel hub, owing to its strategic location on the continent, South Africa and a handful of West African destinations (e.g. Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, Morocco) popular with British tourists and accessible with cheap holiday flights.

Airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways & Turkish Airlines have greatly expanded their services to Africa, and offer connections to many major African cities at competitive rates than other European airlines. Turkish Airlines flies to 39 destinations in 30 African countries as of 2014.

If you have additional travel time, check to see how your total fare quote to Africa compares with a round-the-world fare. Don't forget to add in the extra costs of additional visas, departure taxes, ground transportation, etc. for all those places outside of Africa.

See your destination's article for more specific information on flights. Bear in mind that many African countries only offer a few international flights each day, or in some cases, each week. While it isn't hard to reach South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, or Egypt, getting to Malawi or Togo can be quite a challenge.

Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport, Addis Ababa and Nairobi can be considered to be the main hubs of sub-Saharan Africa, so many flights to other parts of Africa will connect in one of these hubs.

Flying topics: Planning your flightAt the airportOn the planeArriving by plane

From Europe

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There are more flights to Africa from Europe than from any other continent. Popular holiday destinations such as Egypt, Morocco, Cape Verde, Kenya & South Africa, Mauritius are well-served from Europe's major cities, even with discount and charter airlines. Air Algeria, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, and Tunisair have a good selection of European destinations and at least serve a couple of major cities like London or Paris. The cheapest flights to African cities are often through the African country's former colonial power. There are a good number of connections between France and Reunion, Madagascar, Comoros, and Mauritius. Cities with large immigrant populations such as London, Marseilles, & Paris have a good number of flights to Africa.

Chief European airlines flying to Africa are:

  • Aegean Airlines is the best if you plan to fly to Africa from or near Greece, you have some options. They are not a big airline and they fly around the Mediterranean area. They operate to Alexandria, Cairo, Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Tunis from Athens.
  • Aeroflot flies from Moscow to Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.
  • Air Belgium flies from Brussels to Mauritius.
  • Air Europa flies from Madrid to Casablanca, Marrakech, and Tunis. They also fly seasonally from Malaga to Casablanca and Marrakech.
  • Air France is the best (although not cheapest) carrier serving French-speaking Africa, with service to most major cities of West, Central, & North Africa along with services to Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Algiers, Antananarivo, Bamako, Brazzaville, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Conakry, Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Djerba, Djibouti, Freetown, Johannesburg, Lagos, Libreville, Lomé, Luanda, Kinshasa, Malabo, Marrakesh, Mauritius, Monrovia, Nairobi, Niamey, Nouakchott, Oran, Ouagadougou, Pointe-Noire, Port Harcourt, Rabat, Reunion, Seychelles, Tunis, and Yaoundé.
  • Air Malta flies from Valletta to Cairo and Tunis.
  • Air Serbia, the flag carrier of Serbia, flies from Belgrade to Cairo.
  • Austrian Airlines, the flag carrier of Austria, flies from Vienna to Cairo, Cape Town, and Marrakesh.
  • British Airways is the best (although not particularly cheap) way to fly to former British colonies, such as Kenya, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Ghana, Nigeria & Egypt. They have service to Abuja, Accra, Algiers, Cairo, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Lagos, Marrakech, Mauritius, Nairobi, Seychelles, Tunis.
  • Brussels Airlines flies from Brussels to most francophone countries in West and Central Africa along with Abidjan, Accra, Agadir, Banjul, Bujumbura, Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Enfidha, Entebbe (Kampala), Freetown, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé, Luanda, Marrakech, Monrovia, Ouagadougou, Sharm El Sheikh, and Yaoundé. It is the spiritual successor to Sabena who had an impressive network throughout and around the DR Congo they punch way above their weight in terms of African connections.
  • Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier, flies to Algiers, Cairo, Casablanca, Dakar, Fez, Funchal/Madeira (Portugal), Marrakech, Oran, and Tangier. They also fly to Gran Canaria, a popular vacation spot, as it is in Spain. They don't fly to Equatorial Guinea or Western Sahara, as it was once a Spanish colony, due to low demand.
  • KLM, the Dutch flag carrier, flies to major cities in Africa, including in the former Dutch colony of South Africa. Part of why they operate in Africa is that Amsterdam is a strategic city as an airport hub. They operate in Luanda, Accra, Nairobi, Windhoek, Lagos, Kigali, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Dar Es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, and Entebbe.
  • Lufthansa flies to major cities in Angola, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, North Africa, South Africa. Surprisingly, they do not serve Windhoek directly, despite it being the capital of a former German colony, but Condor does. They fly from Frankfurt to Abuja, Addis Ababa, Algiers, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Djerba, Johannesburg, Hurghada, Lagos, Luanda, Malabo, Marrakech, Mauritius, Mombasa, Nairobi, Port Harcourt, Tunis, Zanzibar.
  • Luxair, flies to Agadir, Boa Vista, Djerba, Enfidha, Marrakesh, Monastir, Sal.
  • Swiss International Air Lines, the Swiss flag-carrier, flies to Cairo, Hurghada, Johannesburg, Marsa Alam, Marrakesh, and Nairobi.
  • TAP Portugal flies to former Portuguese colonies (Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe, Mozambique, Angola) and other metropolitan hubs in Africa. It flies from Lisbon to Abidjan, Accra, Agadir, Algiers, Banjul, Bissau, Boa Vista, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dakar, Conakry, Luanda, Maputo, Marrakech, Praia, Sal, São Tomé, São Vicente, and Tangier.
  • TAROM, the flag carrier of Romania, flies from Bucharest to Cairo.
  • Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Algiers, Antananarivo, Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Comoros, Conakry, Constantine, Cotonou, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Douala, Durban, Entebbe (Kampala), Freetown, Hurghada, Johannesburg, Kano, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Kinshasa, Khartoum, Lagos, Libreville, Lusaka, Luxor, Mahe, Malabo, Maputo, Marrakech, Mauritius, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Nairobi, N'Djamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Oran, Ouagadougou, Pointe-Noire, Port Harcourt, Sharm El Sheikh, Tunis, Yaounde, and Zanzibar.
  • Virgin Atlantic flies from London-Heathrow to Cape Town (seasonal), Johannesburg, and Lagos.

Chief African airlines flying to Africa from Europe are:

  • Air Algerie flies from Alicante, Antalya, Basel/Mulhouse, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Brussels (Natl and Charleroi), Budapest, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, Lille, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Mentz-Nancy, Milan, Montpellier, Moscow, Nice, Paris (both), Rome, Toulouse, Valencia, and Vienna to Algiers. They fly from Alicante, Barcelona, Brussels, Bordeaux, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Mentz/Nancy, Montpelier, Paris (both), Toulouse to Oran. They fly to Basel/Mulhouse, Istanbul, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Mentz/Nancy, Nice, Paris (both), and Toulouse from Constantine. They fly from Istanbul, Lyon, Marseille, Paris (both) from Annaba. They fly from Lyon, Marseille, and Paris (both) to Batna. They fly from Lyon, Marseille, Paris to Bejaia. They fly from Lyon and Paris (both) to Biskra. They fly from Marseille and Paris (both) to Chlef. They fly from Paris to El Oued/Guemar. They fly from Marseille to Jijel. They fly from Lyon and Paris to Setif. They fly from Lyon, Marseille, Paris (both) to Tlemcen.
  • Air Austral flies to Reunion and Mayotte from Paris; and Reunion from Marseille.
  • Air Mauritius flies to Mauritius from Geneva, London, and Paris.
  • Air Senegal flies to Dakar from Barcelona, Geneva, London, Lyon, Marseille, Milan-Malpensa, and Paris.
  • Badr Airlines flies to Khartoum from Istanbul.
  • Cabo Verde Airlines flies to Sal from Lisbon, Milan, Paris, and Rome.
  • CEIBA Intercontinental flies from Madrid to Malabo.
  • EgyptAir flies to Cairo from Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Barcelona, Budapest, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, Larnaca, London, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Mykonos, Paris, Rome, Vienna. They also fly to Alexandria from Athens; and Sharm El Sheikh from London.
  • Ethiopian Airlines flies to Addis Ababa from Athens, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, Madrid, Marseille, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, and Vienna.
  • Kenya Airways flies to Nairobi from Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome,
  • Libyan Airlines flies to Bayda and Tripoli from Istanbul.
  • Madagascar Airlines flies to Antananarivo from Paris Orly.
  • Royal Air Maroc flies to Casablanca from Amsterdam, Antalya, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Bordeaux, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Geneva, Gibraltar, Istanbul (National and Sabiha Gokcen), Lisbon, London (both), Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Marseille, Milan, Montpellier, Moscow, Munich, Nantes, Nice, Paris (both), Porto, Rome, Stockholm, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Venice, and Zurich. They also fly to Tangier from Amsterdam, Brussels, Gibraltar, Paris, and Rotterdam. They fly to Nador from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Paris, Rotterdam, Turin, and Vienna. They fly to Al Hoceima from Amsterdam and Brussels. They fly to Oujda from Amsterdam, Brussels, Marseille, and Paris. They fly to Marrakech from Bordeaux, Geneva, Lyon, Marseille, Munich, Paris, and Toulouse. They fly to Rabat from Brussels, London, Madrid, Malaga, Marseille, Paris. They fly to Agadir from Malaga and Paris. They fly to Essaouira, Fes, and Ouarzazate from Paris.
  • Rwandair flies from Brussels and London to Kigali. Note: The flight to London makes a stopover in Brussels
  • STP Airways flies from Lisbon to Sao Tome.
  • TAAG Angola Airlines flies from Lisbon and Porto to Luanda.
  • Tassili Airlines flies from Marseille, Nantes, Paris, and Strasbourg to Algiers. They also fly from Strasbourg to Constantine and Oran.
  • Tunisair flies to Tunis from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belgrade, Bologna, Bordeaux, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, Lisbon, London (both), Lyon, Madrid, Malta, Marseille, Milan, Munich, Nantes, Naples, Nice, Palermo, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Venice, Verona, Vienna, and Zurich. Tunisair flies to Djerba from Basel/Mulhouse, Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Lisbon, Lyon, Marseille, Milan, Munich, Nantes, Nice, Paris, Prague, Rome, Strasbourg, Toulouse, and Zurich. Tunisair flies to Monastir from Brussels, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Hamburg, Lyon, Marseille, Milan, Nice, and Paris. Tunisair flies to Sfax from Paris. Tunisair flies to Tozeur from Lyon.

Many European discount and leisure airlines serve major tourist destinations in Africa (especially Morocco, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, & the Gambia), including Norwegian, Wizz Air, easyJet, Pegasus Airlines, Smartwings, Volotea, & Ryanair.

Flights between Africa and Europe: (Budget, Discount, Leisure):

  • Animawings flies from Bucharest to Enfidha, Hurghada, and Zanzibar. They also fly from Cluj-Napoca to Hurghada and Zanzibar. They also fly from Suceava and Timișoara to Hurghada.
  • ASL Airlines France flies from Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to Algiers, Chlef, Sal. They also fly from Toulon to Algiers and Oran. They also fly from Bordeaux and Perpignan to Oran.
  • Chair Airlines flies from Zurich to Djerba, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, and Sharm El Sheikh.
  • Condor flies from Frankfurt to Hurghada, Mauritius, Windhoek, and Zanzibar. They also fly from Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Leipzig/Halle, Munich, Stuttgart to Hurghada.
  • Corendon Airlines flies to Sal from Amsterdam. They also fly to Banjul from Amsterdam and Maastricht/Aachen. They also fly to Hurghada from Basel/Mulhouse, Berlin, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Erfurt/Weimar, Friedrichshafen, Graz, Hannover, Katowice, Leipzig/Halle, Linz, Munich, Münster/Osnabrück, Nuremberg, Rostock, Saarbrücken, Vienna, Warsaw–Chopin, Weeze. They also fly to Sharm El Sheikh from Cologne/Bonn, Hannover.
  • Corsair International flies from Paris-Orly to Abidjan, Mauritius, and Reunion. They also fly from Lyon and Marseille to Reunion.
  • easyJet flies from Amsterdam to Agadir and Hurghada. They fly from Basel/Mulhouse to Agadir, Hurghada, and Marrakesh. They fly from Berlin to Agadir, Hurghada and Marrakech. They fly from Bordeaux to Essaouira and Marrakech. They fly from Bristol to Hurghada. They fly from Geneva to Agadir, Hurghada, Marrakech. They fly from London-Gatwick to Agadir, Enfidha, Hurghada, Marrakech, Sharm El Sheikh. They fly from London-Luton to Hurghada, Marrakech, Sharm El Sheikh. They fly from London-Stansted to Hurghada. They fly from Lyon to Agadir, Essaouira, Marrakech. They fly from Manchester to Agadir, Enfidha, Hurghada, Marrakech, Sharm El Sheikh. They fly from Milan (Malpensa) to Agadir, Hurghada, Marrakech, Marsa Alam, Sharm El Sheikh. They fly from Nantes to Agadir and Marrakech. They fly from Naples to Hurghada. They fly from Nice to Agadir and Marrakech. They fly from Paris (CDG) to Marrakech. They fly from Toulouse to Agadir, Essaouira, and Marrakech. They fly from Venice to Sharm El Sheikh.
  • Edelweiss Air flies from Zurich to Cape Town, Djerba, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Mauritius, Sal, Seychelles, Sharm El Sheikh
  • Evelop Airlines flies from Madrid to Mauritius.
  • euroAtlantic Airways flies from Lisbon to Bissau.
  • Eurowings flies from Dusseldorf to Agadir and Marrakesh. They also fly from Cologne/Bonn to Marrakesh, Monastir, Nador, Tangier, and Tunis. They also fly from Hamburg to Marrakesh, Monastir, and Tunis.
  • French Bee flies from Paris-Orly to Reunion.
  • Neos flies from Bergamo to Marsa Alam and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Bologna to Boa Vista, Djerba, Marsa Alam, Marsa Matruh, Sal, Sharm El Sheikh, Zanzibar. They also fly from Milan–Malpensa to Boa Vista, Dakar, Djerba, El Alamein, Hurghada, Luxor, Marsa Alam, Marsa Matruh, Mombasa, Nosy Bee, Sal, Sharm El Sheikh, Zanzibar. They also fly from Rome-Fiumicino to Boa Vista, Marsa Alam, Marsa Matruh, Mombasa, Nosy Bee, Sal, Sharm El Sheikh, Zanzibar. They also fly from Verona to Boa Vista, Djerba, Luxor, Marsa Alam, Marsa Matruh, Mombasa, Nosy Bee, Sal, Sharm El Sheikh, Zanzibar.
  • Ryanair flies from Athens to Marrakesh. They fly from Barcelona to Fes, Marrakesh, and Nador. They also fly from Beauvais to Fes, Marrakesh, Nador, Oujda, Rabat, Tangier. They fly from Berlin to Marrakesh. They fly from Bergamo to Agadir, Fes, Marrakesh. They fly from Bordeaux to Agadir, Fes, Marrakesh, Tangier. They fly from Brussels to Essaouira and Marrakesh. They fly from Chalons-Vatry to Fes and Marrakesh. They fly from Charleroi to Agadir, Fes, Marrakesh, Nador, Rabat. They fly from Cologne/Bonn to Marrakesh. They fly from Dole to Fes and Marrakesh. They fly from Dublin to Marrakesh. They fly from Eindhoven to Agadir, Fes, Marrakesh. They fly from Hahn to Agadir, Fes, and Nador. They fly from Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden to Marrakesh. They fly from Krakow to Marrakesh. They fly from London (Stansted) to Agadir, Essaouira, Fes, Marrakesh, Rabat. They fly from Madrid to Fes, Marrakesh, Rabat. They fly from Marseille to Agadir, Essaouira, Fes, Marrakesh, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat, Tangier. They fly from Memmingen to Marrakesh. They fly from Nantes to Fes. They fly from Naples to Marrakesh. They fly from Nimes to Fes and Marrakesh. They fly from Perpignan to Marrakesh. They fly from Pisa to Fes and Marrakesh. They fly from Porto to Marrakesh. They fly from Rome (Ciampino) to Marrakesh. They fly from Santander to Marrakesh. They fly from Seville to Fes, Marrakesh, Rabat, Tangier. They fly from Tours to Marrakesh. They fly from Treviso to Fes and Marrakesh. They fly from Toulouse to Fes and Marrakesh. They fly from Valencia to Fes and Marrakesh. They fly from Vienna to Marrakesh. They fly from Weeze to Agadir, Fes, Marrakesh, Nador, Oujda, Rabat, Tangier. They fly from Zaragoza to Marrakesh.
  • Pegasus Airlines flies from Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh.
  • Smartwings flies from Brno, Ostrava, and Prague to Hurghada and Marsa Alam.
  • Sundair flies from Berlin, Bremen, Dresden, and Kassel to Hurghada.
  • Transavia flies from Amsterdam to Agadir, Casablanca, and Marrakesh. They also fly from Eindhoven to Marrakesh. They also fly from Lyon to Agadir, Algiers, Bejaia, Casablanca, Djerba, Marrakesh, Monastir, Oran, Oujda, and Tunis. They also fly from Montpellier to Agadir, Djerba, Marrakesh, Oran, Oujda, and Tunis. They also fly from Nantes to Algiers, Casablanca, Djerba, Marrakesh, Monastir, and Oran. They also fly from Paris–Orly to Agadir, Algiers, Bejaia, Casablanca, Dakhla, Djerba, Essaouira, Fes, Marrakesh, Monastir, Nador, Oran, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale, Sfax, Tangier, and Tunis. They also fly from Rotterdam/The Hague to Al Hoceima, Fes, Nador, Tangier.
  • TUI Airways flies from Amsterdam to Banjul, Boa Vista, Dakar, Djerba, Enfidha, Hurghada, Marrakesh, Marsa Alam, Mombasa, Sal, Sao Vincente, and Zanzibar. They also fly from Antwerp to Enfidha, Nador, and Tangier. They also fly from Birmingham and London-Gatwick to Agadir, Banjul, Enfidha, Hurghada, Marrakesh, Marsa Alam, Sal, and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Bordeaux and Metz/Nancy to Agadir, Casablanca, and Marrakesh. They also fly from Brest, Nantes, Strasbourg, and Toulouse to Agadir and Marrakesh. They also fly from Bristol to Hurghada, Marrakesh, Sal, and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Brussels to Agadir, Banjul, Boa Vista, Casablanca, Djerba, Fes, Hurghada, Luxor, Marrakesh, Marsa Alam, Nador, Oujda, Sal, Sharm El Sheikh, Tangier, and Tétouan. They also fly from Cardiff to Enfidha and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Charleroi to Algiers, Al Hoceima, Béjaïa, Casablanca, Constantine, Djerba, Enfidha, Nador, Oran, Oujda, Rabat, Tangier, Tlemcen, and Tunis. They also fly from Doncaster/Sheffield and East Midlands to Enfidha, Hurghada, and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Hannover to Agadir, Boa Vista, Enfidha, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, and Sal. They also fly from Eindhoven to Boa Vista, Hurghada, Marrakesh, Nador, Oujda, Sal, and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Liege to Oujda, Tangier, and Tétouan. They also fly from Lille to Agadir, Béjaïa, Casablanca, Djerba, Nador, Oujda, and Tlemcen. They also fly from London-Stansted to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Manchester to Agadir, Banjul, Enfidha, Hurghada, Marrakesh, Sal, and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Munich to Boa Vista, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Sal. They also fly to Newcastle upon Tyne from Enfidha and Hurghada. They also fly from Nuremberg to Hurghada and Marsa Alam. They also fly from Ostend/Bruges to Djerba, Enfidha, Hurghada, and Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Paris–Orly to Agadir, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Nador, Oujda, and Rabat. They also fly from Rotterdam/The Hague to Agadir, Al Hoceima, and Marrakesh. They also fly from Stuttgart to Boa Vista, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, and Sal. They also fly to Enfidha from Glasgow and London-Luton. They also fly to Marrakesh from Basel/Mulhouse, Bologna, Cleremont-Ferrand, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, and Turin. They also fly to Sal flies from Hamburg.
  • Vueling flies from Barcelona to Algiers, Banjul, Casablanca, Dakar, Marrakesh, Nador, Oran, Tangier, Tunis. They also fly from Alicante and Valencia to Algiers and Oran. They also fly from Marseille to Algiers. They also fly from Malaga and Seville to Marrakesh
  • Volotea flies from Strasbourg to Marrakesh and Nantes to Tangier. Also flies from Marseille to Oran, Constantine, Setif and Tlemcen. Also flights between Lyon and Setif.
  • Wizz Air flies from Milan-Malpensa to Alexandria. They also fly to Cardiff to Sharm El Sheikh. They also fly from Dortmund and London-Luton to Marrakesh.

African Budget Airlines:

  • Air Arabia flies from Alexandria and Cairo to Bergamo. They also fly from Casablanca to Barcelona, Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, Bergamo, Bologna, Brussels, Catania, Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen, Lyon, Malaga, Montpellier, Naples, Torino-Cuneo, Toulouse, Venice. They also fly from Fez to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Brussels, Lyon, Montpellier, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Strasbourg, Toulouse. They also fly from Marrakesh to Frankfurt and Montpellier. They also fly from Nador to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Cologne/Bonn, Montpellier. They also fly from Sharm El Sheikh to Naples. They also fly from Tangier to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen, London-Gatwick, Lyon, Madrid, Malaga, Montpellier, Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
  • Air Cairo flies to Cairo from Milan-Malpensa. They also fly to Hurghada from Belgrade, Billund, Bratislava, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Prague, and Zurich. They also fly to Sharm El Sheikh from Bari, Billund, Copenhagen, Milan-Malpensa, Naples, Rome-Fiumicino.
  • Afriqiyah Airways they fly to Bayda and Tripoli from Istanbul.
  • Libyan Wings flies from Istanbul to Tripoli.
  • Nile Air flies from Istanbul-Sabiha Gokcen to Cairo.
  • Nouvelair flies from Brussels, Lille, Lyon, Moscow-Vnukovo, Nantes, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, and Toulouse to Djerba. They also fly from Brussels, Istanbul, London-Gatwick, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg, Toulouse to Tunis. They fly from Berlin, Dusseldorf, Lyon, Manchester, Moscow-Vnukovo, Nantes, Nice, Stuttgart to Monastir. They fly from Dusseldorf to Enfidha.

From the Americas

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The only countries with direct flights to Africa are the United States, Canada, Cuba, Brazil, and Argentina.

  • All the options noted below involve many flying hours to destinations and demands on stamina that can stress mature travelers. They should consider scheduled flights that allow such as overnight stays en route.
  • For all, take care of en-route stops. Ensure they have adequate facilities, staff (and nearby lodging if needed), and are not suffering disruptions due to strikes, protests, etc., e.g., see Lagos.

From the United States, these were routes operated as of May 2020:

  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL IATA): Delta Air Lines to Johannesburg & Lagos
  • Boston (BOS IATA): Cabo Verde Airlines to Praia and Sal; Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca.
  • Chicago O’Hare (ORD IATA): Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa (Note: On the flights to Chicago there is a stopover in Dublin. On the flights back to Addis Ababa it is nonstop.)
  • Houston Intercontinental (IAH IATA): Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa and Lomé.
  • Miami (MIA IATA): Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca.
  • Newark (EWR IATA): Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa and Lomé; United Airlines to Cape Town
  • New York-JFK (JFK IATA): Delta Air Lines to Accra, Dakar, Lagos; EgyptAir to Cairo; Ethiopian Airlines to Abidjan and Addis Ababa; Kenya Airways to Nairobi; Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca; South African Airways to Johannesburg.
  • Washington-Dulles (IAD IATA): Cabo Verde Airlines to Sal; EgyptAir to Cairo; Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa (via Dublin); Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca; South African Airlines to Accra and Johannesburg (Note: the flight from Johannesburg stops in Accra).

Delta's Flight 200/201 between Atlanta & Johannesburg was listed as the tenth longest non-stop scheduled, commercial flight by distance, (it's actually 757 km longer than the Johannesburg-New York flight by Great Circle distance!). By scheduled time between departure & landing, it's eleventh-longest scheduled, commercial flight (at 16 hr, 3 min), behind a United flight between Singapore & San Francisco (16 hr, 25 min).

Outside the peak travel times to Europe (e.g. summer) you might be able to get a good deal to London or Paris and book a fare from there to Africa separately on a European travel website. But don't book the United States to Europe portion until you get confirmed on Europe to Africa portion first. Through fares to Africa from the United States can be quite expensive, so avoiding peak travel times to Europe can sometimes save a lot. However, there are more non-stop flights to Africa, and Europe is much more expensive than it used to be, try getting a direct quote first, then see if you can do better. Another growing option is flying through the Middle East on Emirates, Qatar Airways, or Turkish Airlines, which serve a reasonable selection of African & American cities.

In Canada, Montreal is connected to Cairo by Air Canada; Casablanca by Air Canada and Royal Air Maroc; Algiers by Air Algerie and Air Canada (seasonal); Tunis by Tunisair. Toronto has flights to Cario on Egyptair and Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines.

TAAG Angolan Airlines offers weekly service to Havana the last of the heavily-subsidized communist friends routes Cuba has to Africa.

Connections from South America are (as of May 2020):

  • São Paulo: Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa; LATAM to Johannesburg; Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca; TAAG Angolan Airlines to Luanda.
  • Rio de Janeiro: Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca.
  • Fortaleza: Cabo Verde Airlines to Sal.
  • Buenos Aires: Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa
  • Recife: Cabo Verde Airlines to Sal.

From Asia

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Middle East

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If you're flying to a smaller African country, many of Africa's major airlines all have extensive coverage in Africa and fly to a handful of Middle Eastern destinations:

  • African Express Airways flies to Berbera, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Nairobi, Wajir from Dubai. They fly from Nairobi to Sharjah.
  • Afriqiyah Airways: Amman, Dubai, and Jeddah.
  • Air Algerie: Amman, Beirut, Jeddah, Medina, Doha, and Dubai.
  • Air Cairo: Amman, Aqaba, Jeddah, Medina, Kuwait, Riyadh, and Yanbu.
  • Air Djibouti flies from Aden to Djibouti.
  • Air Sinai: Tel Aviv
  • Air Peace: Sharjah
  • AlMasria Universal Airlines: Jeddah, Kuwait, and Yanbu.
  • Badr Airlines: Doha, Dubai
  • Daallo Airlines: flies from Hargeisa, Mogadishu to Dubai and Jeddah.
  • EgyptAir: Abha, Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Dammam, Doha, Erbil, Gassim, Jeddah, Kuwait, Manama, Medina, Muscat, and Riyadh.
  • Eritrean Airlines flies from Asmara to Jeddah.
  • Ethiopian Airlines: Bahrain, Beirut, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Muscat, Riyadh, and Tel Aviv.
  • Jubba Airways flies from Bosaso, Hargeisa, Mogadishu to Dubai.
  • Kenya Airways: Dubai
  • Libyan Airlines: Amman.
  • Nesma Airlines: Abha, Gassim, Jeddah, Tabuk, Ta'if, and Yanbu.
  • Nile Air: Baghdad, Buraidah, Ha'il, Jeddah, Jizan, Kuwait, Sakakah, Ta'if, Tabuk, and Yanbu.
  • Royal Air Maroc: Beirut, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh.
  • Rwandair: Tel Aviv, Dubai. They also operate a fifth freedom flight between Dubai and Mombasa.
  • Sudan Airways: Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, and Riyadh.
  • Tunisair: Beirut, Erbil, Jeddah, Medina.

Note: Air Cairo and Air Sinai are owned by EgyptAir.

Nearly all North African countries along with Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, & Somalia have extensive connections with the Middle East. And similarly, countries with large Muslim populations are likely to have a connection to Jedda/Mecca either year-round or seasonal (e.g. during hajj). North African destinations aside, connections with the Middle East include (as of May 2020):

  • Air Arabia: There are flights from Amman, Dammam to Alexandria. There are flights from Gassim, Ras al Khaimah, Tabuk, Ta’if, and Yanbu to Cairo. There are flights from Jeddah to Alexandria, Assuit, Luxor, Sohag. There are flights from Kuwait to Alexandria, Assuit, Luxor, Sohag. There are flights from Riyadh to Alexandria, Assuit, Sohag. There are flights from Sharjah to Alexandria, Asmara, Assuit, Cairo, Hargeisa, Khartoum, Nairobi, Sohag, and Tunis.
  • Air Seychelles flies from Mahe to Tel Aviv.
  • Cham Wings Airlines flies from Damascus to Khartoum
  • El Al flies from Tel Aviv to Johannesburg.
  • Emirates flies from Dubai to Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Algiers, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Conakry, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Entebbe (Kampala), Harare, Khartoum, Johannesburg, Lagos, Luanda, Lusaka, Mahe, Mauritius, Nairobi, Tripoli, & Tunis.
  • Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Alexandria, Cairo, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Mahe, Nairobi, and Rabat.
  • Felix Airways flies from Aden to Djibouti and Khartoum.
  • flydubai flies from Dubai to Alexandria, Addis Ababa, Asmara, Dar Es Salaam, Djibouti, Hargeisa, Juba, Kampala (Entebbe), Khartoum, Kilamanjaro, Port Sudan, and Zanzibar.
  • Flynas flies from Jeddah to Algiers, Cairo, Kano, and Sharm El Sheikh. Flynas flies from Medina to Algiers. Flynas flies from Riyadh to Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh. Flynas flies from Dammam to Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh. Flynas flies from Abha to Cairo.
  • Gulf Air flies from Bahrain to Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Cairo, Casablanca, and Sharm El Sheikh.
  • Iraqi Airways flies from Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Sulaimaniyah to Cairo; and from Baghdad to Tunis
  • Jazeera Airways flies from Kuwait City to cities in Egypt: Alexandria, Assuit, Cairo, Luxor, Sharm El Sheikh, Sohag.
  • Jordan Aviation flies from Amman and Aqaba to Cairo and from Amman to Sharm El Sheikh.
  • Kuwait Airways flies from Kuwait City to Alexandria, Cairo, Luxor, and Sharm El Shiekh
  • Middle East Airlines flies from Beirut to Abidjan, Accra, Cairo, Lagos. From Jeddah to Cairo.
  • Oman Air flies from Muscat to Alexandria, Cairo, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, and Zanzibar.
  • Qatar Airways flies from Doha to Addis Ababa, Accra, Algiers, Alexandria, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Durban, Entebbe (Kampala), Gabarone, Johannesburg, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Luanda, Luxor, Mahe, Maputo, Marrakesh, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Rabat, Tunis, Windhoek, and Zanzibar.
  • Royal Jordanian flies from Amman to Algiers, Cairo, Khartoum seasonally.
  • SalamAir flies from Muscat to Alexandria and Khartoum.
  • Saudia flies from Abha and Dammam to Cairo. Saudia flies to Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Algiers, Cairo, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Kano, Khartoum, Nairobi, Port Sudan, Rabat, Sharm El Sheikh, Tangier, & Tunis from Jeddah. Saudia flies from Medina to Alexandria, Algiers, Cairo, Casablanca, & Khartoum. Saudia flies from Riyadh to Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Cairo, Casablanca, Kano, Khartoum, and Sharm El Sheikh.
  • Syrian Air flies from Damascus to Algiers, Cairo, Khartoum. Syrian Air also flies from Latakia to Cairo.
  • Wizz Air flies from Abu Dhabi to Alexandria
  • Yemenia flies from Aden and Seiyun to Cairo. They also fly from Aden to Khartoum.

Elsewhere in Asia

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Flights from East and South Asia include the following:

  • Air Algerie flies from Beijing to Algiers.
  • Air Austral flies from Bangkok and Chennai to Reunion.
  • Air China flies from Beijing and Shenzhen to Johannesburg.
  • Air India flies from Mumbai to Nairobi.
  • Air Madagascar flies from Guangzhou to Antananarivo.
  • Air Mauritius flies from Bangalore, Chengdu, Chennai, Delhi, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai and Shanghai to Mauritius
  • Air Seychelles flies from Mumbai to Mahe.
  • Air Tanzania flies from Mumbai to Dar es Salaam.
  • Cathay Pacific flies from Hong Kong to Johannesburg.
  • China Southern Airlines flies from Shenzhen to Mauritius. China Southern flies from Changsha and Guangzhou to Nairobi.
  • EgyptAir flies from Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, and Tokyo to Cairo.
  • Ethiopian Airlines flies from Bangkok, Bangalore, Beijing, Chengdu, Chennai, Delhi, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo to Addis Ababa.
  • Kenya Airways flies from Bangkok, Guangzhou, Mumbai to Nairobi.
  • Royal Air Maroc flies from Beijing to Casablanca.
  • Rwandair flies from Guangzhou and Mumbai to Kigali.
  • Sichuan Airlines flies from Chengdu to Cairo.
  • Singapore Airlines flies from Singapore to Johannesburg.
  • SriLankan Airlines flies from Colombo to Mahe.
  • South African Airways flies from Hong Kong to Johannesburg.

From Oceania

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If you want to fly in directly from Australia, your choices are limited to fly to South Africa or Mauritius. Of particular note is the Qantas flight from Sydney to Johannesburg, which passes close enough to Antarctica for it to be seen. The only other options are Air Mauritius from Perth to Mauritius or South African Airways from Perth to Johannesburg.

There are no direct flights from New Zealand to Africa, so you'll have to change flights in Perth or Sydney. Connections are almost non-existent with the Pacific islands, so be prepared for a very long trip via Australia or Asia.

See also

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