South Africa’s Johannesburg and Cape Town airports are the two main gateways into the country and are among the busiest airports in Sub-Saharan Africa. They receive millions of international passengers each year, flying in from several destinations worldwide. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, there are 19 international airlines serving both airports this month, including US carriers United and Delta.
Flights from the US to South Africa
Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) is the primary airport in South Africa, receiving nearly 78% of all international traffic. On the other hand, Cape Town International (CPT) handles about 18% of international traffic, proving an essential gateway to one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Last year, Cape Town broke its all-time record for international passengers.
United and Delta are currently the only airlines with non-stop passenger flights from the US to South Africa. They serve both Johannesburg and Cape Town, providing five direct routes for South Africa-bound travelers.
United Airlines has an average of 13 weekly flights to South Africa on three routes. It operates daily flights from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Johannesburg with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It has two routes to Cape Town, with three weekly flights from Newark and three weekly from Washington Dulles (IAD) with its B777s.
Delta Air Lines has up to ten weekly flights from the US to South Africa. It only has two non-stop routes from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL). It flies daily to Johannesburg and thrice weekly to Cape Town with the Airbus A350. These are Africa’s two longest intercontinental routes.
International airlines serving Johannesburg and Cape Town
British Airways is the top carrier between Europe and South Africa. It has an average of 21 weekly flights from London Heathrow (LHR), serving Johannesburg twice daily with the B777 and A380 and Cape Town daily with the A350. During winter, it had up to 31 weekly flights, with a third route from London Gatwick (LGW) to Cape Town.
Emirates has the most flights from the Middle East to South Africa. It operates three daily flights to Johannesburg with its B777 and A380 fleet. Along with British Airways, they are the only two airlines flying the superjumbo to Africa. In addition to its Johannesburg service, the Dubai-based carrier flies twice daily to Cape Town and daily to Durban, making it one of the few international airlines serving South Africa’s three major airports.
Most of the airlines on the list operate non-stop flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town. However, there are a few exceptions, including Kenya Airways, RwandAir, and Singapore Airlines. While Kenya Airways provides non-stop flights to both airports, some of its Cape Town flights are operated via Victoria Falls and Livingstone.
RwandAir also has a non-stop service to South Africa, but some Johannesburg flights are operated via Lusaka (LUN), while Cape Town flights have a stop in Harare (HRE). On the other hand, Singapore Airlines has non-stop flights from Changi Airport (SIN) to Johannesburg, available up to 10 times a week. However, its Cape Town flights are operated daily via Johannesburg.
Flights to all three major airports
In addition to Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban King Shaka International Airport (DUR) serves as South Africa’s third international gateway. As of April 2024, only five international airlines are flying to all three airports: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Proflight Zambia, and Eswatini Air.
Emirates’ daily Dubai-Durban service means it has a total of 42 weekly flights to South Africa, the most of any intercontinental carrier. Qatar Airways currently operates five weekly non-stop flights to Durban, returning via Maputo, while Turkish Airlines operates three weekly flights to Durban via Johannesburg. Southern African carriers Proflight Zambia and Eswatini Air all fly non-stop to Durban from their bases in Lusaka and Manzini, respectively.
TAAG Angola previously announced plans to launch flights to Durban, making it its third South African destination. Last year, the airline told Simple Flying it was awaiting regulatory approval to launch this route. Similarly, as reported by SA people news, Air Mauritius is also planning to add flights to Durban.
Source: https://simpleflying.com/delta-united-17-international-airlines-fly-to-south-africa-airports/
