Five weekly flights open a new affordable air link between South Africa and Zambia, targeting business, leisure and visiting-friends-and-relatives travel
Seen Here: FlySafair is expanding its wings across Southern Africa. The airline has launched a new Johannesburg–Lusaka route, offering five weekly flights between OR Tambo and Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. With competitive fares, the new service is set to strengthen business, tourism and family connections between South Africa and Zambia. Photo Credit: Supplied
JOHANNESBURG, 10 September 2026 — FlySafair is strengthening its regional growth strategy with the launch of a new direct route between Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport and Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, Zambia.
The airline will operate five flights a week between the two commercial hubs, flying on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Introductory fares start at R2,800 from Johannesburg to Lusaka and R3,000 from Lusaka to Johannesburg, excluding applicable surcharges and subject to availability.
The new service positions FlySafair to capture demand across one of Southern Africa’s important business, tourism and family-travel corridors, while expanding the airline’s footprint beyond its established domestic network.
Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, said Lusaka had been a natural candidate for the airline’s international expansion strategy.
“Zambia has long been on our radar, and Lusaka is a route our customers have been asking about.”
Gordon said the Johannesburg–Lusaka corridor serves a diverse passenger base, ranging from business and leisure travellers to South Africans and Zambians travelling to visit family and friends. “We’re proud to bring our fares and our reliability to this route and to make the connection between our two countries more accessible than it has been,” he said.
Connectivity meets commercial opportunity
The route comes as regional air connectivity remains an important enabler of trade, investment and tourism across Southern Africa.
Johannesburg is South Africa’s principal commercial and financial centre, while Lusaka has developed into an increasingly important business hub for Zambia and the wider region. The city is home to regional banking, mining, telecommunications and development organisations, creating a substantial base of corporate and professional travel between the two markets.
For FlySafair, the route therefore represents more than a tourism play. It creates an additional transport link for companies, entrepreneurs, investors and professionals operating across the two countries.
South Africa and Zambia also maintain significant commercial and investment ties, increasing the importance of reliable and competitively priced air connectivity between their major economic centres.
Opening Zambia to more South African travellers
Lusaka also provides an entry point into Zambia’s broader tourism economy.
Travellers can explore the capital’s cultural and creative attractions, including the 37D Gallery, Kabwata Cultural Village and Lusaka National Museum, while nearby destinations such as Chaminuka Lodge and Nature Reserve provide access to wildlife experiences.
Beyond Lusaka, the city serves as a gateway to some of Zambia’s major tourism attractions, including Livingstone and Victoria Falls, the Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa National Parks.
This gives the new route potential to support both direct Lusaka travel and onward tourism journeys across Zambia.
FlySafair takes low-cost model into the region
Gordon said the airline’s international expansion is guided by the same affordability principle that has underpinned its domestic proposition.
“Our international network has been built on the principle that connecting South Africa with its neighbours should be affordable, not a luxury,” he said.
He pointed to FlySafair’s Cape Town–Windhoek operation as an example of the airline’s approach to regional markets, adding that the company intends to bring a similar proposition to the Johannesburg–Lusaka corridor.
“Zambia and South Africa have deep ties, and we’re glad to make staying connected a little easier,” Gordon said.
The new route also places FlySafair into a competitive regional aviation market. Current schedule data shows Johannesburg–Lusaka already carries a substantial volume of non-stop services, underlining the scale of passenger demand while highlighting the importance of price, frequency and reliability in winning market share.
Five flights a week
FlySafair’s Johannesburg–Lusaka service will depart OR Tambo International Airport at 07:50, arriving in Lusaka at 09:50. The return flight will leave Kenneth Kaunda International Airport at 10:50, arriving at OR Tambo at 12:50.
Flights will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Tickets are already on sale through FlySafair’s website and mobile application, with fares starting at R2,800 for Johannesburg–Lusaka and R3,000 for Lusaka–Johannesburg, excluding surcharges.
For FlySafair, the Lusaka launch marks another step in its evolution from a predominantly domestic carrier into a more significant regional airline — using its low-fare model to connect South Africa with neighbouring markets while tapping into the growing movement of people, business and investment across the continent.
