The wings of Africa - its airlines

This list of Africa's airlines was correct at the time of writing, and is constantly updated as and when new information is sourced. Please bear in mind, however, that the airline industry is in a constant state of flux, with new routes constantly being added, existing ones being discontinued, and of course, changes in pricing and scheduling. So, wherever possible, refer to the specific airline's website and confirm the current situation when planning flights - let's face it, you don't want to end up in some backwater with no way out for another week! In particular, please bear in mind that due to safety concerns a number of African airlines are banned from flying into European, US or other airspace. These bans are imposed, lifted or re-imposed as determined by the relevant authorities, so again, check the list here, or here.

Algeria

Air Algerie is Algeria's national airline with a fleet of 29 passenger aircraft, plus a further two dedicated cargo aircraft. The airline serves a variety of domestic destinations, as well as flying a number of international routes to European countries such as France, Britain and Italy, plus routes to Turkey, Syria, Libya and Morocco. Site published in French and English.

Angola

Linhas Aereas de Angola (Angola Airlines) was originally formed in September 1938 as DTA - Divisao dos Transportes Aereos - and renamed Linhas Aéreas de Angola in 1974. The airline serves a number of domestic destinations, plus international routes to a number of African nations plus Brazil. At the time of writing, due to safety concerns, it was banned from flying to European destinations. Site published in Portuguese.

Botswana

Air Botswana was formed in 1972 and operates a number of domestic and regional services, to South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as charter services.

Burkina Faso

Air Burkina, the national airline of Burkina Faso, was established in 1967 and serves a number of domestic and African routes, plus an international service to Paris.

Cape Verde

TACV - Cabo Verde Airlines is Cape Verde's national airline and dates back to 1955. It currently flies domestic routes, and also serves a number of international destinations in the US, Europe, South America and West Africa. Site published in Portuguese and English.

Congo (DRC)

Congo Airlines serves the DRC's domestic destinations and internationally has routes to surrounding East African destinations, South Africa, and France.

Cote d'Ivoire

Air Ivoire, Cote d'Ivoire's national airline was established in 1960 and largely serves West African destinations, plus France, on its international routes, and of course, a range of domestic destinations.

Djibouti

Daallo was established in 1991 and is a regional carrier that serves the East African region with flights to France and UK and the Gulf. It is the national carrier for the Republic of Djibouti. The airline's route network includes Djibouti, Dubai, Jeddah, Hargeisa, Galkayo, Bossaso, Mogadishu, Nairobi, Paris and London.

Egypt

Egypt Air is one of Africa's largest airlines and serves all regions of Africa, plus North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, including China and Japan. Site published in English and Italian.

Ethiopia

Ethiopian Airlines has one of the most extensive route systems throughout Africa, plus further international routes to the Middle East, Far East, Europe and the US.

Gabon

Gabon Airlines, the national carrier, is one of Africa's youngest airlines, having been established in 2006. However, the airline is planning a network expansion that will take in South Africa, Dubai, Beirut and a number of West African destinations.

The Gambia

Afrinat, serves mainland Africa's smallest country, The Gambia, and a range of other destination in West Africa, serving West Africa exclusively, but more routes are planned.

Ghana

Ghana International Airlines. GIA took over from the defunct Ghana Airways and became the national flag carrier in 2005. It offers flights to Gatwick, London, plus seasonal flights to Johannesburg, South Africa and plans were to add Düsseldorf International Airport to the network in 2008.

Guinea

Air Guinee is the Republic of Guinea's national carrier but at the time of writing was not only banned from EU airspace but also had a fleet of just one aircraft. The carrier nevertheless serves a number of West African destinations.

Kenya

Kenya Airways was established in February 1977 following the break up of the East African Community and subsequent disbanding of the jointly-owned East African Airways. At the time of writing, Kenya's national carrier had a fleet of 24 aircraft serving all regions of Africa, including Madagascar, plus an international route network taking in Europe, the Middle East (Dubai), India, China and south-east Asia (Bangkok).
Air Kenya operates a fleet of five aircraft and has a network of Kenyan domestic destinations. The carrier is also has a sister company, Regional Air Services, which is based in Arusha, Tanzania, and provides scheduled services to other East African destinations outside of Kenya, such as Kilimanjaro, for instance.

Libya

Libyan Airlines at the time of writing had a fleet of 12 aircraft with a further 15 on order and a domestic network plus an international route network serving North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. At the time of writing there were plans to open a route to China, in addition to Spain and Greece. Site published in English and Arabic.
Afriqiyah Airways also operates out of Tripoli and has an international network covering a number of European countries, the Middle East (Jeddah and Dubai) plus West African nations (including Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana) and Sudan in north-east Africa. The airline announced in February 2009 that it planned to open a route to Beijing during the course of 2009. Site published in English.

Madagascar

Air Magagascar has its hub at Antananarivo and has a comprehensive domestic network. International, the carrier serves mainland Africa (Johannesburg and Nairobi), the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte, Comores, Reunion, Seychelles and Mauritius. Further international destinations include Paris, Milan and Bangkok. Website published in French.

Malawi

Air Malawi was established in 1967 with the dissolution of the Central African Federation. Air Malawi inherited some Central African Airways aircraft and established a domestic network. Since then the carrier has grown and now flies to London and Dubai, as well as a number of Central, Southern and East African destinations - Harare, Lusaka, Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam. At one stage, the carrier provided a service to Gatwick, but there is currently no mention on the website of any service to Europe or other region outside of Africa.

Mali

Compagnie Aérienne du Mali, Mali's national carrier is partnered with Air Burkina and Air Ivoire and the three combine resources to service a network comprising Douala, Libreville and Brazzaville in west central Africa. It also has an extensive network of 12 destinations in West Africa, from Dakar in the extreme west to Cotonou in the south-eastern portion of West Africa. Mali is also served by Afrinat, see The Gambia above.

Mauritius

Air Mauritius was incorporated in June 1967 and it started its operations modestly with a Piper-Navajo. Now, four decades later, the airline has an extensive international network to Australia, China, the Far East, the Indian sub-continent, Africa, the Middle East (Dubai) and Europe.

Morocco

Royal Air Maroc has a network covering West and North Africa plus the Middle East, plus an extensive network of destinations in Europe and flights to major centres on both the US East and West coasts. The carrier also flies to Montreal. Website published in a range of languages - English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
Atlas Blue is a fully owned subsidiary of Royal Air Maroc and has an international regular low-cost service between Marrakech and Agadir to different European countries. The network includes the French, Italian, Belgian, Dutch, German and British markets but the airline plans to extend this network to countries. Website published in English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Mozambique

LAM- Mozambique Airlines was founded in 1936 as DETA, a division of the Ports and Railways services, and after the country gained its independence, DETA was changed to LAM- Mozambique Airlines. The fleet of six aircraft services a domestic network to most destinations, plus international flights to South Africa, Zimbabwe and East Africa, plus Portugal.

Namibia

Air Namibia was founded in 1946, initially as South West Air Transport, then South West Airways. 1959 saw the amalgamation of South West Air Transport and Oryx Aviation as Suidwes Lugdiens. In 1978 the company was renamed Namib Air, and finally, with independence, the company was renamed Air Namibia in 1990. The carrier's network covers four domestic destinations, plus an international route map incorporating South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe Victoria Falls), Britain and Germany. Website published in English and German.

Nigeria

Virgin Nigeria is Nigeria's private sector flag carrier, 51% owned by Nigerian institutional investors and 49% owned by Virgin Atlantic. The airline was formed in September 2004 when the Federal Government of Nigeria announced the selection of Virgin Atlantic Airways as the strategic investor and technical partner in the project The carrier operates a network of domestic and regional flights with plans to progressively serve a wider route network particularly within Nigeria and across the coast of West Africa as well as Europe and North America.
EasAirlines.com serves domestic routes in Nigeria with services between Lagos, Abuja, Jos and Port Harcourt.
Sosoliso Airlines was established in 1994 as a wholly Nigerian owned company and it commenced scheduled flights as a domestic airline on July 26, 2000 with a Boeing 727 in technical partnership with JAT-Yugoslav National Airlines. Today, the airline claims to be one the fastest growing domestic airlines in Nigeria.
Chanchangi Airlines is a domestic Nigerian airline, but its website provides little information on the airline itself. Check it, however, for updates.

Reunion

Air Austral was launched in 1975 as Réunion Air Service, and two years later it launched the first route between Reunion Island and Mayotte in 1986 Reunion Air Service was renamed Air Reunion, which in turn became Air Austral, French regional airline company in Indian Ocean, in 1990. The comparatively small fleet of seven aircraft nevertheless allows the carrier to operate a network between the Indian Ocean islands, plus Australia, South Africa, the Far East (Bangkok) and France. Website published in English and French.

Rwanda

Rwandair Express began operations on 1st December 2002 as the new national carrier (passenger air transportation as the core activity) for Rwanda. The carrier's network covers East Africa as well as South Africa.

Senegal

Air Senegal International was launched on 23 February 2001 and officially established on 02 November 2000 and is viewed as a continuation of longstanding Senegalese and Moroccan ties. The network largely serves Francophone West Africa and also includes Paris. Website published in English and French. Senegal is also served by the Afrinat network (see The Gambia, above).

The Seychelles

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, was officially created in 1978 as a domestic airline. International flights started in 1983 with a first weekly flight to Europe: Seychelles - Frankfurt - London. Since then, the carrier has become a well-established international airline with one of the youngest fleets in the Indian Ocean, operating to nine destinations on three continents. Most recently added has been a route to Moscow.

Sierra Leone

Afrinat, serves Sierra Leone (see The Gambia, above).

Somalia and Somaliland

Daallo, (see Djibouti above) serves Somalia and Somaliland.

South Africa

South African Airways was launched in 1934 and is Southern Africa's largest airline (and one of the continent's largest carriers) with a fleet currently numbering 55 aircraft. These service a worldwide network to North and South America, Europe, Australia, and more than 20 cities in Africa. The airlines intends replacing its entire fleet by 2020.
South African Express provides an extensive feeder network in support of its alliance partnership with South African Airways to the majority of destinations in South Africa and regionally with a fleet of more than 20 aircraft.
Airlink flies to more local destinations than any other airline, servicing more than 25 destinations in Southern Africa. The carrier also standardised its fleet on the Jetstream 41, becoming the 3rd largest operator of the type in the world. Total fleet size numbers 29 aircraft.
Kulula.com, a low-cost South African airline, has a fleet of 10 aircraft servicing 10 destinations - South African cities, plus an international network to Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Mango is a low-cost airline operating in South Africa and servicing the country's major centres with a fleet of four aircraft. It is a subsidiary of South African Airways (SAA), which launched Mango in a bid to stem a haemorrhage of passenger to the country's other low-cost airlines.
1Time has a fleet of 10 aircraft which it uses to service south Africa's main centres.
Venture Air Airline and Travel charter flies to any destination which has an established airfield, yet must be able to accommodate the aircraft's requirements. The carrier offers both charter and scheduled flights between Cape Town, George, Plettenberg Bay and Johannesburg and also to Kruger National Park and other destinations within South Africa not serviced by the major carriers.
Comair Limited underwent major changes in 1996, when it became a franchise partner with British Airways and became known as British Airways Comair, taking on the colours and livery of British Airways (Plc). Currently with a fleet of 10 aircraft under the British Airways banner, services are operated from Johannesburg to Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Harare, Victoria Falls, Livingstone and Windhoek, and between Cape Town and Durban.

Sudan

Sudan Airways was established in 1947 and currently operates a fleet of nine aircraft, servicing an international network covering the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa and East Africa, plus a domestic service to the country's major centres.

Tanzania

Air Tanzania has a fleet of six aircraft, but currently has no network nor flights: in December 2008, the Tanzanian Civil Aviation Authority, (TCAA) withdrew the airworthiness certificates for all Air Tanzania aircraft and grounded the airline for unspecified safety and maintenance violations. In the same month IATA cancelled Air Tanzania's membership in the organization, citing the same safety and maintenance violations. It is not clear how the carrier will respond to these challenges or if there are plans to rectify the infractions and resume normal flight operations.
Precisionair is a private Tanzanian airline with a fleet of nine aircraft providing scheduled, charter and scenic flight services out of its three centres of Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Bukoba.

Tunisia

Tunisair is the national carrier of Tunisia was established in 1948 and currently services a domestic and international network with a fleet of 30 aircraft. International destinations include Europe, the Middle East, North and West Africa. Website published in French and German.
Karthago Airlines is a private Tunisian charter airline that was created in 2001 and introduced to the Tunisian stock market in summer 2005. The fleet of 6 aircraft services a European network in co-operation with tour operators from France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Belgium and Czech Republic, to name some. Website published in English and French.
Nouvelair.com operates a fleet of 13 aircraft between a variety of European destinations and Tunisian tourist resorts. At the time of writing, their website was experiencing problems.

Uganda

Eagle Air operates a fleet of six aircraft on scheduled services within Uganda but also available for charter.

Zambia

Zambian Airways is that country's national carrier, but at the time of writing, had suspended all flights until further notice, amid rumours that it had been struggling to cope with high fuel prices. Please note, the website was also disabled. Under normal circumstances, with its fleet of five aircraft the airlines offers domestic services plus an international network to South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania and Congo.

Zimbabwe

Air Zimbabwe was established in 1967 as Air Rhodesia, then becoming Air Zimbabwe Rhodesia in 1979 and finally took its present name in 1980. With a fleet of 10 aircraft it operates flights to domestic destinations, in addition to an international network taking China, the UK, Middle East, Southern Africa and Mauritius. However, hyperinflation has meant the carrier has had to hike its fares repeatedly.

Who's good, who's not - bouquets and brickbats

We're trying to make things easier for you, so we've included this link to a website dedicated to passengers' comments on the flights they have either enjoyed… or suffered.

In fact, even if you're not flying anywhere, some of the comments are well worth a read; as they say, forewarned, is forearmed. And this is the world's airlines, not only Africa's, by the way.