Ground Zero/Flying to Africa

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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.

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. 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 flight → At the airport → On the plane → Arriving by plane

From Europe edit

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. 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.
Air France is the best (although not cheapest) carrier serving French-speaking Africa, with service to most major cities of West, Central, & North Africa.
British Airways is the best (although not particularly cheap) way to fly to former British colonies.
Brussels Airlines flies from Brussels to most francophone countries in West and Central Africa.
KLM, the Dutch flag carrier, flies to major cities in Africa, including in the one-time Dutch colony of South Africa. Part of why they operate in Africa is that Amsterdam is a strategic city as an airport hub.
Lufthansa flies to many major cities.
TAP Portugal flies to former Portuguese colonies (Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe, Mozambique, Angola) and other metropolitan hubs in Africa.
Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to dozebs of African cities.

Chief African airlines flying to Africa from Europe are:

Air Algerie flies many European cities to Algiers, Oran, Constantine, and several other Algerin cities.
Air Austral flies to Reunion and Mayotte from Paris; and Reunion from Marseille.
Air Madagascar flies to Antananarivo from Marseille and Paris.
Air Mauritius flies to Mauritius from Geneva, London, and Paris.
Air Senegal flies to Dakar from several European cities.
Cabo Verde Airlines flies to Sal from Lisbon, Milan, Paris, and Rome.
CEIBA Intercontinental flies from Madrid to Malabo.
EgyptAir flies to Cairo from many European cities, and. They to Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh from a few.
Ethiopian Airlines flies to Addis Ababa from many European cities.
Kenya Airways flies to Nairobi from Amsterdam, Paris, and Rome,
Royal Air Maroc flies to Casablanca, Tangier, Nador, Al Hoceima, Oujda, Marrakech, Rabat, Agadir, Essaouira, Fes, and Ouarzazate from Europe.
Rwandair flies from Brussels and London to Kigali.
STP Airways flies from Lisbon to Sao Tome.
TAAG Angola Airlines flies from Lisbon and Porto to Luanda.
Tunisair flies to Tunis and other cities from Europe.

Many European discount and leisure airlines serve major tourist destinations in Africa.

From the Americas edit

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

All flights 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, you may find flights from these airports:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL^IATA)
Boston (BOS^IATA)
Chicago O’Hare (ORD^IATA)
Houston Intercontinental (IAH^IATA)
Miami (MIA^IATA)
Newark (EWR^IATA)
New York-JFK (JFK^IATA)
Washington-Dulles (IAD^IATA):

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 and Toronto are your best bets for flights to Africa.

TAAG Angolan Airlines offers weekly service to Havana.

From South America, you may find flights from these airports:

From Asia edit

Middle East edit

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

Nearly all North African countries have extensive connections from the Middle East. And similarly, countries with large Muslim populations are likely to have a connection from Jedda/Mecca either year-round or during the Hajj.

Elsewhere in Asia edit

From Oceania edit

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 option is Air Mauritius from Perth to Mauritius.

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.