African Aviation Guide

Africa's Aviation Infrastructure: Hubs and Challenges

Africa is the world's fastest-growing aviation market by projected future demand, yet currently one of the most underserved regions relative to its population. The continent's aviation landscape is defined by a handful of strong hub airports surrounded by vast territories with inadequate connectivity. Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International (JNB), Cairo International (CAI), Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta (NBO), Addis Ababa Bole International (ADD), Casablanca Mohammed V (CMN), Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS), Accra Kotoka (ACC), and Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere (DAR) are the continent's primary international gateways.

Addis Ababa has emerged as sub-Saharan Africa's most important intercontinental hub, driven by the aggressive expansion of Ethiopian Airlines. Ethiopian operates the continent's largest fleet and offers connections from Addis to over 60 African destinations, serving as the primary carrier linking North America and Europe to East and Central Africa. Its Star Alliance membership enables seamless connections to United, Lufthansa, Swiss, and other global partners.

Africa's aviation faces structural challenges that affect travel planning. Many African airlines have faced periods of unreliability, financial instability, or safety concerns. The EU Air Safety List (formerly EU blacklist) identifies airlines banned from operating within EU airspace due to safety concerns—travelers should check this list when booking on unfamiliar African carriers. Internationally certified carriers like Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways (with Skyteam membership), South African Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Air Mauritius, and EgyptAir meet global safety standards.

The Continent's Leading Carriers

Ethiopian Airlines is Africa's undisputed dominant carrier by fleet size, network, and profitability. Its Star Alliance membership, extensive African network, and modern fleet of Boeing 787s, 777s, and Airbus A350s make it the preferred carrier for intercontinental connections into sub-Saharan Africa. Ethiopian's Addis Ababa hub operates virtually around the clock, enabling competitive long-haul connections to Asia and the Americas from cities across Africa.

Kenya Airways, based at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, is the region's second major carrier and a SkyTeam member. Kenya Airways operates the only non-stop flight between Nairobi and New York JFK—a 15-hour service known as "The Pride of Africa"—alongside connections to London Heathrow and Amsterdam. Within Africa, Kenya Airways provides comprehensive East African connectivity including Entebbe (EBB), Kilimanjaro (JRO), Zanzibar (ZNZ), Dar es Salaam (DAR), and Kigali (KGL).

Royal Air Maroc, Morocco's national carrier and an African Union member, operates a strategic hub at Casablanca Mohammed V (CMN) connecting European, North American, and West/Central African routes. Following its Oneworld alliance membership since 2020, Royal Air Maroc's network has grown to over 100 destinations. EgyptAir serves North Africa and the Middle East from Cairo, with connections to over 75 destinations including extensive African cities that other global carriers do not reach.

South African Airways (SAA), despite multiple restructuring cycles, remains important for Southern African connectivity. Comair (British Airways franchise), flysafair, and Airlink serve the domestic South African market. Air Zimbabwe, Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, Zambia Airways, and RwandAir provide connections across Eastern and Central Africa. Rwandair, the flag carrier of Rwanda, has grown rapidly since 2010 and connects Kigali International (KGL) to over 30 destinations.

Visa Navigation Across African Countries

The African Union's Agenda 2063 envisions free movement across the continent, but current visa reality remains complex. As of 2025, most African countries require advance visas from travelers of other African nations, let alone those from outside the continent. The East African Community—comprising Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and Democratic Republic of Congo—operates a single tourist visa allowing multi-country travel for USD 100, bookable online at the EAC portal.

Rwanda offers visa-free entry to all African Union passport holders and e-visa facilities to citizens of 140+ countries—one of Africa's most open entry regimes. Visitors receive a 30-day entry on arrival. Ethiopia operates an e-Visa system for 53 nationalities, and many others can obtain visas on arrival at Addis Ababa airport. Tanzania issues visas on arrival to most nationalities for USD 50 (single entry); Zanzibar, which is semi-autonomous, is included under this arrangement.

West Africa varies significantly by country. Ghana, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire are generally straightforward for visa-free entry from the US and EU. Nigeria requires advance visa applications from most nationalities; the process has historically been cumbersome, though improvements have been made. South Africa requires no advance visa for EU, US, Canadian, Australian, and UK citizens for stays of up to 90 days, and OR Tambo's immigration hall is efficient by African standards.

Practical Tips for African Air Travel

Domestic air services within African countries vary dramatically in quality. South Africa has a reliable domestic network with multiple competing carriers. East Africa's Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda have functioning domestic services. West Africa—particularly Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal—has improved but remains less reliable. Central Africa (DRC, Cameroon, Gabon) has extremely limited domestic connectivity, and many remote regions are accessible only by charter flight.

Health documentation is essential for African travel. Yellow fever vaccination and presentation of the International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow card) is required for entry to many African countries and mandatory if transiting through endemic regions. Malaria prophylaxis is strongly recommended for travel below the Sahara. Medical evacuation insurance is critical—facilities outside major capital cities can be extremely limited, and evacuation costs to South Africa or Europe can reach USD 50,000–100,000 without insurance coverage.

Ground transportation from African airports to city centres varies widely. Nairobi's Westlands and Karen districts can take 90–120 minutes from JKIA during peak traffic hours despite being 15–18 km away. Addis Ababa has recently built a light rail system connecting the airport to the city. Lagos traffic is notoriously severe; always allocate 3+ hours for the airport journey during weekday business hours. Johannesburg has the Gautrain rapid rail service connecting OR Tambo to Sandton in 15 minutes—an excellent option for travelers staying in the northern suburbs.