A Kenya Airways boeing plane taking off
Air transport is obviously the most convenient and fastest way to travel to Africa and also within the continent. You therefore need some information about African airlines before you embark on your next safari or beach holiday. I hope you’ll find this post on Africa airlines adequately helpful for your Africa travel plans.
The Top Four National Airlines in Africa
Several African countries have national airlines that operate regional flights within Africa as well as international flights to and from other world destinations. The top among these are South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Egypt Air.
• South Africa Airways (SAA)
SAA is the national carrier of South Africa. The airline’s headquarters and main hub is at the OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng, near Johannesburg. Besides domestic flights in South Africa, the airline operates regional flights to several cities in Southern, Eastern, Central, and Western Africa. These include Nairobi, Victoria falls, Dar es Salaam, and Mauritius.
South African Airways also has a very extensive international reach, with flights from Africa to the United Kingdom, Germany, USA, Brazil, and China among others. The airline is a member of the Star Alliance, giving you access to several other routes not directly operated by South African Airways. If you are travelling to any destination in Southern Africa, South African Airways is probably your best option. Visit the South African Airways website for bookings and reservations.
• Kenya Airways (KQ)
This airline is Kenya’s national carrier, with its headquarters at the Jomo Kenyatta International airport in Nairobi. From its Nairobi hub, Kenya Airways operates regional flights to many African destinations, including Egypt and Sudan in North Africa. KQ has one of the best route coverage in Africa, while also operating international flights to the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and India.
Kenya Airways is a member of the SkyTeam, whose 11 members include the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Alitalia, Air France, and Delta Airlines among others. You can find reasonably cheap airfares to Eastern Africa from the KQ Website.
• Ethiopian Airlines (ET)
Ethiopian Airlines was recently in the news for quite a negative reason: the crash of its flight 409 almost after taking off from the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport in Lebanon. Yet despite this unfortunate accident, ET has one of the best safety records among African airlines. The Airline is the national carrier of Ethiopia and operates from Bole International airport in Addis Ababa.
Like KQ and SAA, ET has a very extensive route coverage in most of Africa. In addition, it has flights to Israel, the United Kingdom, USA, Belgium, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia among several other international destinations. You can make your online reservations at the Ethiopian Airlines website.
• Egypt Air (MS)
No other African airline covers Northern Africa as extensively as Egypt Air. The Airline operates flights to Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Sudan, alongside many other Africa regional flights. Egypt Air also has international flights to most Middle East destinations including Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, and Lebanon. In Europe, Egypt air covers Austria, Germany, UK, Portugal, and Russia among others. MS also operate flights from the JFK international airport in New York city, USA to Egypt and North Africa.
The headquarters and main hub of Egypt Air are at the Cairo International Airport in Cairo. If you plan to travel to North Africa, Egypt Air is your best choice. Please visit Egypt Air’s Website for flight search and bookings.
Other African National Airlines
Besides KQ, SAA, MS, and ET, other reputable national airlines in Africa with international coverage are Royal Air Moroc (Morocco), Air Mauritius (Mauritius), and Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe). The general reputation of Air Zimbabwe has however been affected by negative reports about the Zimbabwe economy and Robert Mugabe mismanagement. Most other African national carriers operate mostly domestic flights within their countries, and regional flights to other African destinations.
International Airlines Operating flights to Africa
A number of international airlines operate flights to the main commercial hubs in Africa. These include:
- From Europe: Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Virgin Atlantic, plus others
- From USA: Delta Airlines (flights to Cairo, Dakar, and Accra from either JFK,
- From the Middle East: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines , and Gulf Air
- From Asia: Singapore Airlines, Korean Air (to Egypt)
Online Flight Search and Reservation
If you are planning a trip to Africa, please do visit this Travel Reservations System. You can search for flights availability and even book them online fast and conveniently.
I think South Africa Airways is the best option to fly to South Africa from United Kingdom. Though it’s a standard airline but its cheap air fares make it more prominent among all other airlines. I have been to South Africa through South Africa Airways more than several times. Apart from its cheap air ticket I like its high rated quality. The rate of air crash is almost zero that makes it more reliable. So if someone asks me I would suggest SAA to him for South Africa traveling from UK.
good day i was wondering if someone has been to north africa?,or specifically Morocco? Would like to hear from someone who tavelled there, many thanks!
Kenya Airways The Truly The African Pride