Great news for anyone flying in South Africa

South African regional private airline, Airlink, has announced the expansion of its schedule for the upcoming Southern African summer season.

The airline is adding new routes and increasing frequencies along several popular holiday-destination routes, as well as adding Business Class services on board its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

The changes will be introduced between October and December 2026, and will give flyers more flight options during the upcoming peak travel season.

“Whether people are travelling to spend time with their loved ones, heading off on holiday or working throughout the season, we want to give our customers more choice and a better experience, wherever they are going and whatever takes them there,” said Airlink CEO De Villiers Engelbrecht.

Airlink shared its changes for the rest of October, which can be seen below:

Airlink’s changes in October include adding a new E195-E2 Business Class offering to its twice-weekly Johannesburg to Zanzibar service.

This popular service will be increased to three flights per week for the December peak using an additional Embraer E190.

The airline explained that its new E195-E2 aircraft feature a first-of-its-kind staggered seating layout in the premium cabin, offering a quieter, more spacious and private experience.

Airlink will also deploy an E2 aircraft on its daily Johannesburg to Nairobi flights this month.

Changes from next month

Next month, Airlink will launch its Johannesburg Lanseria to Harare service for travellers to the Zimbabwean capital.

The service will operate three times a week using an E190 aircraft, and will give travellers a convenient alternative to travelling through O.R. Tambo International Airport.

This is particularly true for those from the northern and north-western suburbs of Johannesburg, the West Rand, parts of Pretoria and the North West province.

The Lanseria to Harare service will run as follows:

In December, Airlink will include a new daily return service between Johannesburg OR Tambo International and George.

The airline will also add an additional flight to Nosy Be in Madagascar for the peak summer travel season.

It will also increase its Harare service from Cape Town, thanks to three weekly flights, while also adding two additional weekend return services to George and expanding its existing routes to the Garden Route.

Below are the changes to the December schedule: