In an exclusive interview with Ongolo.com back in July 2020, Professor Dr Wolfgang Thome, the Publisher of ATC News (aviation, tourism and conservation news), accurately predicted that international travel would only resume in the second half of 2021.
We can start getting our vaccine passports ready and prepare to hit the skies again. Hallelujah! As part of our ‘Think African campaign’, Ongolo.com hopes you consider flying one of the continent’s leading airlines on your next trip.
The World Travel Awards 2020 selected seven finalists in the Africa’s Leading Airline 2020 category: Ethiopian Airlines (winner), EgyptAir, Kenya Airways, Royal Air Maroc, RwandAir, South African Airways and Tunisair.
Ethiopian Airlines
When did the airline start operations: 8 April 1946
Airline alliance: Star Alliance1
Destinations:
- Africa (64): including Abidjan, Accra, Bamako, Cairo, Cape Town, Dakar, Gaborone, Harare, Johannesburg, Juba, Lagos, Luanda, Lusaka, Nairobi, Nosy Be, Ouagadougou, Seychelles, Windhoek and Zanzibar
- Americas (7): including Buenos Aires, Chicago, New York and Toronto
- Europe (17): including Athens, Brussels, Geneva, London, Paris and Rome
- Asia-Pacific (18): including Beijing, Delhi, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore
- Middle East (13): including Beirut, Dubai, Riyadh and Tel Aviv
Website link
EgyptAir
When did the airline start operations: 7 June 1932
Airline alliance: Star Alliance1
Destinations:
- Africa (18): including Accra, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Kigali, Khartoum, Lagos, Nairobi and Tunis
- Americas (3): Toronto, New York & Washington
- Europe (19): including Berlin, Geneva, Istanbul, London, Moscow and Paris
- Asia-Pacific (7): including Beijing, Bombay, Tokyo, Hong Kong
- Middle East (16): including Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Muscat, Riyadh and Tel Aviv
Website link
Kenya Airways
Also won World Travel Awards for the best business and economy class in Africa
When did the airline start operations: 22 January 1977
Airline alliance: SkyTeam Alliance2
Destinations:
- Africa (33): including Accra, Antananarivo, Dakar, Dar es salaam, Harare, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Mahe Island, Mauritius and Zanzibar
- Americas (1): New York
- Europe (3): Amsterdam, London and Paris
- Asia-Pacific (3): Bangkok, Guangzhou and Mumbai
- Middle East (1): Dubai
Website link
Royal Air Maroc
When did the airline start operations: 1957
Airline alliance: Oneworld3
Destinations:
- Africa (29): including Abidjan, Bamako, Dakar, Kinshasa, Lagos, Luanda, Monrovia, Point-Noire, Tunis and Yaounde
- Americas:
- Europe (41): including Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Copenhagen, Geneva, Istanbul, London, Milan, Paris, Stockholm, Venice and Zurich.
- Asia-Pacific (1): Beijing
- Middle East (5): including Amman, Doha and Riyadh
Website link
RwandAir
When did the airline start operations: 27 April 2003
Airline alliance: n/a
Destinations:
- Africa (21) including Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lusaka and Nairobi
- Americas (0): RwandAir plans to start flying to New York
- Europe (2): Brussels and London
- Asia-Pacific (1): Mumbai. RwandAir plans to start flying to Guangzhou
- Middle East (1): Dubai. RwandAir plans to start flying to Tel Aviv
Website link
South African Airways
When did the airline start operations: 1 February 1934
Airline alliance: Star Alliance1
Destinations as at January 2020 and before SAA filed for bankruptcy and terminated most international routes:
- Africa (28): including Abidjan, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Lagos, Mahe and Nairobi
- Americas (7): including Buenos Aires, Houston, New York and Rio de Janeiro
- Europe (13): including Athens, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Paris, Vienna and Zurich
- Asia-Pacific (10): including Bangkok, Colombo, Hong Kong, Sydney and Taipei
- Middle East (2): Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv
Website link
Tunisair
When did the airline start operations: 1 April 1949
Airline alliance: n/a
Destinations:
- Africa (4): including Abidjan, Algiers, Casablanca and Cairo
- Americas (1): Montreal
- Europe (26): including Barcelona, Istanbul, Hamburg, London and Zurich
- Asia (0):
- Middle East (1): Jeddah
Website link
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1 Star Alliance members: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, brussels airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss Air, TP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United
2 SkyTeam Alliance members: Aeroflot, Aerlineas Argentinas, AeroMexico, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
3 Oneworld members: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines.