In East Africa, Jazeera Airways launched service between Kuwait and Addis Ababa in September. The route represents the carrier’s first destination in East Africa and provides a direct connection between Ethiopia and the Gulf. The airline said the service is also intended to serve the Ethiopian community in Kuwait and support tourism, trade and business links.
EgyptAir is also expanding its international network. The Egyptian carrier plans to launch four weekly flights between Cairo and Stockholm Arlanda from December 18, 2026, using Airbus A321neo aircraft. The airline has also been in discussions with London Stansted Airport regarding a potential Cairo service in 2027.
Connections between Africa and the Gulf are also being expanded through wider airline networks. Qatar Airways has increased its African network to include 25 destinations, with services covering markets including South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco and the Seychelles.
In North Africa, Royal Air Maroc has increased frequencies on several African routes during the 2026 summer schedule. Changes include additional services between Casablanca and cities including Abuja, Accra, Lagos, Douala and Libreville.
Connections between Africa and South America have also expanded. TAAG Angola Airlines has entered into a codeshare agreement with LATAM Brasil, providing passengers travelling from Luanda to São Paulo with access to 57 additional destinations in Brazil through LATAM’s domestic network.
Under the agreement, passengers can purchase combined itineraries, check baggage through to their final destinations and receive assistance during connections. TAAG operates four weekly flights between Luanda and São Paulo using Boeing 787-10 aircraft.
The partnership extends TAAG’s existing international network without requiring the Angolan airline to operate additional aircraft or launch individual services to the Brazilian destinations covered by the agreement.
Within Africa, airlines are also increasing direct connections between regional markets. The expansion includes additional services by African carriers and new links designed to connect major cities with regional tourism, business and trade markets.
Industry data presented by Airbus in 2026 has identified significant numbers of unserved or underserved city pairs within and to and from Africa. The analysis used passenger traffic data from Sabre and schedule and capacity information from OAG, covering the period from October 2024 to September 2025.
The analysis identified connectivity gaps despite increasing economic integration, urbanisation, tourism activity and trade links across the continent.
The expansion of air services is taking place alongside efforts to improve continental aviation connectivity. The Single African Air Transport Market and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area form part of wider initiatives aimed at improving movement between African markets.
New routes and expanded airline partnerships are therefore creating additional direct and connecting options between African destinations and international source markets, including the Gulf, Asia, South America and other African countries.
Tags: Africa
