Air fares to Africa can be very expensive, but there are ways to save. The best way to get great airfare to the continent is fly directly to an African country from its former colonial rulers.
Airline consolidators can also be used for discounted air fares. 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.
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 or Egypt, getting to Malawi or Togo can be quite a challenge.
Europeans airline’s options
Air France flies to most French-speaking Africa, with service to most major cities of West, Central, & North Africa along with service to Johannesburg, Cairo, Tripoli, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, & Djibouti. It isn’t a cheap air option.
British Airways is the best but necessarily the cheapest option when flying to former British colonies, they have service to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, & Egypt along with Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritius, & Angola.
Brussels Airlines flies from Brussels to most francophone countries in West and Central Africa along with Entebbe (Uganda), Nairobi, & Luanda.
Lufthansa flies to major cities in North Africa like Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ethiopia, & Eritrea.
TAP Portugal flies to Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe, Mozambique, Angola and South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, & Senegal.
Most European airlines offer discounts to major tourist destination in Africa (especially Morocco, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Egypt, & the Gambia), including Jetairfly, EasyJet, & Corsairfly.
Flying options from the Americas
The only countries which offer direct flights to Africa are the United States, Canada, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, &Venezuela.
From the United States, these are routes operated as of January 2012:
New York-JFK: Delta Air Lines to Abuja, Accra,& Dakar; South African Airways to Johannesburg; EgyptAir to Cairo; Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca; & Arik Air to Lagos.
Washington-Dulles: South African Airlines to Johannesburg (via Dakar); Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa (via Rome); & United Airlines to Accra
Atlanta: Delta Air Lines to Johannesburg, Accra, & Lagos
Houston: United Airlines to Lagos; charter flights for oil workers to Nigeria and Angola
Flying from south America
When flying from south America you may opt for the following:
Sao Paulo: South African Airways to Johannesburg; TAAG Angolan Airlines to Luanda
Rio de Janeiro: TAAG Angolan Airlines to Luanda
Caracas: Santa Barbara Airlines to Tenerife-North (seasonal)
Flying from the Middle East & Asia
If you're flying to a small African country, Africa's major airlines all have extensive coverage in Africa and fly to a handful of Asian destinations:
Ethiopian Airlines: Bahrain, Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Kuwait, Jeddah, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Aden, Sana'a
Kenyan Airways: Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Beijing, Mumbai, Dubai
South African Airways: Mumbai, Hong Kong
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:
Emirates flies from Dubai to: Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dar Es Salaam, Durban, Entebbe, Johannsburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Luanda, Mauritius, Nairobi, & Mahe.
Qatar Airways flies from Doha to: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam, Mahe, & Lagos.
Source of information: Wikipedia(2013)
Article written by: Cristo Rutazihana
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