Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), the only airport in Africa offering regularly scheduled nonstop passenger flights to all six inhabited continents.
- Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport is the only airport in Africa offering scheduled nonstop passenger flights to all six inhabited continents.
- The airport is the busiest in sub-Saharan Africa and serves as a primary hub connecting travelers to various destinations worldwide.
- Johannesburg plays a crucial role as a connecting hub for passengers traveling to Southern African countries.
Air travel in Africa has come a long way. Not long ago, flying both within the continent and internationally was challenging, with limited routes, high fares, and airports that struggled to keep up with growing demand.
But things are changing fast. Thanks to strategic investments, new partnerships, and a strong focus on improving infrastructure, air travel in and out of Africa is becoming more accessible and efficient than ever before.
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A prime example of this transformation is Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), the only airport in Africa offering regularly scheduled nonstop passenger flights to all six inhabited continents, according to a report by Simply Flying.
According to OAG’s Global Airline Schedules Data for 2024, the airport managed 12,272,780 passengers in 2024. As the busiest airport in sub-Saharan Africa, it stands as the region’s primary hub, connecting travellers to direct flights to and from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania/Australia.
It hosts all major South African airlines and welcomes over 30 international carriers. The busiest routes from Johannesburg are domestic, with nearly 300 weekly flights to Cape Town and around 200 to Durban.
Africa
Johannesburg plays a crucial role as a connecting hub for passengers travelling to Southern African countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, and others. As of January 2024, the Johannesburg-Harare route is the busiest international connection, with up to 77 weekly flights.
Asia and Middle-East
The Dubai-Johannesburg route stands as the busiest from this region, with up to 21 weekly flights in each direction. Emirates currently operates double daily Airbus A380 flights, along with a daily Boeing 777 service to Johannesburg. The longest nonstop route is from Shenzhen, measuring up to 5,766 NM (10,678 km).
Europe
Johannesburg has historically been connected to key European cities, including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Istanbul, Paris, and London.
As of January 2025, London Heathrow-OR Tambo is the busiest route, with up to 19 weekly flights each way.
North America
Flights between Johannesburg and North America are limited to two nonstop routes. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are the only US carriers offering direct flights to Africa and also include Cape Town as part of their broader South African network.
At 7,333 NM (13,581 km), Atlanta-Johannesburg is the longest nonstop flight to Africa. Newark-Johannesburg is slightly shorter at 6,943 NM (12,858 km), making it the third-longest flight to Africa.
South America
There are currently only two routes between South Africa and South America: Sao Paulo-Cape Town and Sao Paulo-Johannesburg.
Australia
Australia is the world’s smallest continent. The region is also referred to as Oceania, which includes the thousands of islands in the Central Pacific and South Pacific.
According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Johannesburg and Mauritius are the only two African airports with nonstop flights from Australia/Oceania.
