Airlink to commence flights between Zanzibar and Johannesburg from June 2026 using larger aircraft
Airlink, the South African airline, is still planning to introduce two weekly flights from Johannesburg to Zanzibar, but starting from June 3, 2026.
Zanzibar News has been informed that Airlink is already opening up online windows for the intended Tickets sales for early birds.
Airlink plans to link the Tanzanian Isles with South Africa’s main commercial city using its Flight 4Z010.
Airlink flights will be departing from South Africa twice a week with the journeys scheduled for Wednesdays and Sundays.
The airline, according to officials, will take off from Oliver R. Tambo International Airport Johannesburg at 12:00 hours.
The flight is then expected to land at the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport in Zanzibar at 16:35 hours.
The return flight, 4Z011, on Mondays and Thursdays will depart Zanzibar at 12:00 and arrive in Johannesburg at 14:55 hours.
The airline will use its brand-new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which accommodates up to 136 passengers, to operate the route.
“Zanzibar’s proximity to Johannesburg, Airlink’s main hub, puts the island within reach of our customers based in Gauteng,” explained de Villiers Engelbrecht, the Chief Executive Officer of Airlink.
But how Far Is Zanzibar from Johannesburg?
The air distance between Johannesburg (OR Tambo International Airport – JNB) and Zanzibar (Abeid Amani Karume International Airport – ZNZ) is 1549.6 miles (2493.9 kilometers or 1346.6 nautical miles).
This is approximately 1,554 miles, translating to 2,501 kilometers.
According to Engelbrecht, the timing of the flights allows for Airlink connecting flights from other destinations that the company serve across South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
“Similarly, Airlink will provide convenient connections for customers travelling between Zanzibar and almost anywhere in the world on our world-leading partner airlines,” added Engelbrecht.
Airlink is South Africa’s largest airline by fleet and flights. It is also the third-largest carrier in Africa
Many South Africans have been discovered to prefer spending their holidays in Zanzibar above other East African destinations.
Zanzibar, on the other hand is a tourist hub which also feeds the Ruaha, Mikumi and Nyerere National Parks in the Southern Circuit of the Tanzanian mainland.
After enjoying the Island beaches, most travelers make daily flight trips to the mainland for game driving before flying back to the Isles.