Find local flights within South Africa flights with Alternative Airlines. Read our page to find out all you need to know about flying internally within South Africa and then use our search form at the top of the page to find flights!
Domestic flights in South Africa are any flights that depart and land within the South African border. Flights within South Africa are usually operated by South African carriers, like FlySafair and South African Airways, however, some other international airlines fly between South African cities. For example, despite originating from the UK, British Airways offers regular flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg.
There are over 20 different commercial airports within the country, which makes it a great country to explore with domestic flights.
Many airlines offer domestic flights in South Africa. Here are some of the key airlines, with information on which destinations they fly between.
Airlink is a South African airline that flies regionally in southern Africa and offers many flights within the country. The airline is primarily based at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. This includes flights to destinations such as Port Elizabeth, Sishen, Upington, Richards Bay, Polokwane and more. The airline serves more than 30 destinations. It also has codeshare agreements with South African Airways and South African Express, making it one of the most well-connected airlines in the country.
Airlink has a secondary base at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, which is the main airport to fly into when visiting Kruger National Park. Airlink offers flights to and from Kruger Mpumalanga from destinations such as Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Livingstone, Skukuza and Vilankulo.
Federal Air is a small regional airline that offers both scheduled passenger and charter flights within South Africa and beyond. The airline is based at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, from where it operates the majority of its services from, both internally and internationally.
The airline flies to many smaller airports and airstrips, some of which are only available through charter flights. For example, a Federal Air charter flight is the only option to reach the Madikwe Game Reserve by air.
FlySafair is a low-cost airline based at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, with secondary hubs at Cape Town International and King Shaka International Airport. The airline only operates internal flights and flies between seven airports in six different destinations within South Africa, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, East London, George and Port Elizabeth.
Eswatini Air is an Eswatini-based airline and flag carrier of the nation. The airline began operations in March 2023 after securing its AOC in December 2022. Eswatini Air operates flights to Johannesburg twice a day, but also operates flights between Manzini, Cape Town, Durban and Harare.
South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier of South Africa and offers hundreds of daily flights, whether they be domestic, international or intercontinental.
The airline only flies to four airports in South Africa — OR Tambo International, Cape Town International, King Shaka International and East London Airport. However, it's a great airline to use if you're flying into South Africa from an international destination and want to get a connecting flight to another major South African airport straight after.
South African Express (SAE) is a South African airline that operates to eight South African destinations, as well as a small number of international destinations.
Thanks to its strategic alliance with South African Airways, South African Express is a great alternative to the country's flag carrier. South African Express flies to many of the smaller South African airports that South African Airways doesn't. Plus, it offers many different options from the airports that both airlines do fly to.
At Alternative Airlines, we offer PayJustNow, a Buy Now Pay Later payment method in South Africa, at checkout. With PayJustNow, you can spread the cost of your domestic South Africa flights over time and not have to pay the full cost of your ticket upfront!
You can select PayJustNow at checkout and split your flight costs into 3 manageable instalments. There are no hidden fees and no interest to pay, as long as you make payments on time.
Please note that PayJustNow is currently only available to residents of South Africa.
With it taking around 16 hours to drive from Cape Town on the west coast to Durban on the east coast, taking an internal flight within South Africa can save you tons of time and hassle.
South Africa is a beautiful and diverse country, with so much to see and do. You can visit the stunning wine regions in the surrounding areas of Cape Town, experience some of South Africa's best beers and breweries, or go in search of the Big Five in an incredible safari in Kruger National Park.
However you decide to spend your time in South Africa, each moment is precious. That's why choosing air transport as your method of travel is such a great choice. Instead of taking long bus journeys that eat up your day to get across the country, you can take a short flight and use the time you save to make memories that will last with you for a lifetime.
Or, if you're travelling for business, the many daily flights that operate across the country might be your only option to get to important working meetings and events.
There is only one airport in Cape Town - Cape Town International Airport. This airport serves both domestic and international flights and is one of the main gateways into the country. This makes it a great stopover point for travelling to other parts of South Africa
There are two airports in Johannesburg. Johannesburg O.R Tambo International Airport is one of the main airports in the country, with domestic and international flights to/from the airport. Johannesburg Lanseria International Airport is a smaller airport, which only has a few services from a small number of airlines.
The best and only airport in George is George Airport. The airport is a small airport with only a small number of South African airlines flying domestically to it.
The best airport to fly into if flying to Durban is King Shaka International Airport. King Shaka International is the only airport in Durban. As well as servicing a number of flights, it also has airlines offering international connections with services to Europe, Asia and other parts of Africa.
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It's quick and easy to use the Alternative Airlines search bar to discover flights within South Africa!
You can book your flight in your local currency with Alternative Airlines. We offer more than 160 currencies including US Dollar, Euros and South African Rand.
And if you're a bit cautious about travelling around South Africa, you can put your mind at ease and find out all you need to know with our South Africa Travel Advice guide.
You won't need a passport for a domestic flight within South Africa. However, you'll need some form of government-issued photo identification that the airline will check at the airport.
It's important to check with each individual airline on the type of identification that they accept, as it might differ from airline to airline.
For local flights, airport check-in closing times can vary from anything between 45–30 minutes before flight departure time, so it's recommended to arrive 90 minutes before flight departure time to give yourself plenty of time before your flight.
The only exception to this is with Airlink. This airline closes its check-in counters 90 minutes before the flight departure time. So it's recommended you arrive at the airport 30–45 minutes before this.
If you've checked in online and have no checked bags to drop, you can go straight to security and can afford to arrive at the airport a little later.
Over the years there have been a number of airlines which have unfortunately ceased operations. This includes Nationwide Aviation, which operated international flights to other destinations in Africa, as well as to Europe, before ceasing operations in 2008. 1Time Airline was also a low-cost airline that operated in South Africa, but ceased operations in 2021.
Yes you can, there are a number of airlines operating in South Africa which provide private charter, taxi, and even sightseeing tours. An example is Angel Gabriel Aeronautics.
Yes, you can book domestic flights within South Africa online on the Alternative Airlines website. Use our search form and enter the dates and destinations that you want to fly between to see all options from all airlines.
Yes, depending on where you're flying from. If you're flying to South Africa from the US, you'll need to make sure your vaccinations are up to date. If you're flying on a domestic flight within South Africa, you may be required to carry out a PCR test depending on the airline you fly with and the airport you arrive in.
Absolutely! At Alternative Airlines, we're proud to offer flexible Buy Now Pay Later plans that let you split the cost of your flight tickets into smaller instalments paid back over time. You can spread the cost of your domestic flights in South Africa over weeks or months, depending on the payment plan you have chosen.
One popular BNPL we offer is PayJustNow - this is a South African BNPL, available to residents of South Africa. You can split the cost of your domestic flights into 3 - make the first payment at the time of booking, then pay the 2 remaining payments over the next 2 months, only when you book through Alternative Airlines!
Discover more about PayJustNow here, or take a look at the rest of our Fly Now Pay Later plans here.
