Search all South African Airways routes and find the best available fares right now.
South African Airways is a full service airline based in South Africa, operating across the Africa aviation market. South African Airways operates as a full-service carrier, offering passengers checked baggage, meals, and in-flight entertainment on most routes.
Use our search tool above to compare South African Airways flights across 500+ airlines and 100+ booking providers simultaneously — including Kiwi, Skyscanner, Expedia, and Trip.com — to always find the best available price.
Always compare South African Airways prices across multiple platforms before booking. Prices for the same flight can vary significantly between providers. Book 6–8 weeks in advance and fly on Tuesday or Wednesday for the lowest fares.
South African Airways offers passengers a range of service options. Check the airline's official website for the latest baggage allowances, in-flight services, and booking conditions.
📌 Pro tip: Always check the total fare including all fees when comparing South African Airways against other airlines. A slightly higher headline price from another carrier can sometimes be cheaper overall once you factor in baggage and seat costs.
Before booking with South African Airways, always check the latest baggage policy on the airline's official website. Key things to verify:
Compare the total ticket cost including all fees — not just the headline fare. Use our search tool to see the all-in price across 100+ providers.
Always complete online check-in when it opens — usually 24–48 hours before departure. Arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before domestic and 3 hours before international flights.
Counted from published nonstop services rather than live schedules, so this describes the shape and reach of South African Airways’ network - its bases, how far it ranges and how much it leans on partners - rather than today’s timetable.
On codeshares: about 62% of these routes are marketed by South African Airways but flown by a partner. It matters at the airport: baggage rules, seat selection and lounge access usually follow the operating carrier, not the one on your booking reference.
Ranked by how many of South African Airways’ nonstop routes touch each airport. The first is the primary base; the rest are secondary bases and focus cities.
| Airport | IATA | City | Routes | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O.R. Tambo International Airport | JNB | Johannesburg | 150 | Primary hub |
| Cape Town International Airport | CPT | Cape Town | 32 | Secondary hub |
| King Shaka International Airport | DUR | Durban | 22 | Secondary hub |
| Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport | PLZ | Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) | 12 | Focus city |
| King Phalo Airport | ELS | East London | 10 | Focus city |
| Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport | MRU | Plaine Magnien | 8 | Focus city |
Recorded against South African Airways’ published routes, most-frequent first. This comes from a scheduled-service dataset that is refreshed periodically rather than live, so it reflects the shape of the fleet — narrow-body versus wide-body, regional jets versus mainline — more reliably than it reflects any individual variant flying today.
| Aircraft | Code | Routes |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus Industrie A319 | 319 | 48 |
| Embraer ERJ-135 Regional Jet | ER3 | 40 |
| Canadair Regional Jet 200 | CR2 | 34 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 738 | 32 |
| Airbus Industrie A340-300 | 343 | 28 |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 Dash 8/8Q | DH4 | 22 |
| Airbus Industrie A330-200 | 332 | 20 |
| Avro RJ85 Avroliner | AR8 | 20 |
| British Aerospace Jetstream 41 | J41 | 20 |
| Airbus Industrie A340-600 | 346 | 18 |
| Canadair Regional Jet 700 | CR7 | 18 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 77W | 6 |
South African Airways serves 42 countries on published nonstop routes. These are the best represented.
Allowances and fees differ by fare brand, route and booking channel, and carriers revise them often. Rather than print a number that may be wrong on the day you fly, here is what actually varies with South African Airways and what to confirm before you pay.
Where to confirm: the binding text is South African Airways’ own conditions of carriage and the fare rules shown at checkout. If your ticket is a codeshare, the operating carrier’s baggage rules normally apply to the whole journey.
| Route | Airports | Duration | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg to Cape Town | JNB → CPT | 4h 35m | €113 |
| Cape Town to Johannesburg | CPT → JNB | 4h 35m | €131 |
| Johannesburg to Durban | JNB → DUR | 2h 25m | €82 |
| Durban to Johannesburg | DUR → JNB | 2h 15m | €83 |
| Johannesburg to Port Louis | JNB → MRU | 16h 45m | €497 |
| Port Louis to Johannesburg | MRU → JNB | 8h 25m | €461 |
| Johannesburg to Windhoek | JNB → WDH | 3h 40m | €267 |
| Johannesburg to Harare | JNB → HRE | 3h 30m | €197 |
| Harare to Johannesburg | HRE → JNB | 3h 40m | €200 |
| Windhoek to Johannesburg | WDH → JNB | 3h 40m | €261 |
| Johannesburg to Lusaka | JNB → LUN | 4h 25m | €355 |
| Lusaka to Johannesburg | LUN → JNB | 4h 20m | €403 |
