Airlink is clearly not treating Zanzibar as a once-off holiday fling.
The carrier has launched a year-round return service between Johannesburg and the Tanzanian island, with plans to scale up frequency as demand keeps climbing.
Zanzibar moves from bucket list to business class
The new service connects O.R. Tambo International Airport with Abeid Amani Karume International Airport twice a week, but that’s only the beginning.
From 15 December 2026 to 13 January 2027, Airlink will add a third weekly return flight to cope with the summer holiday rush.
According to Airlink CEO De Villiers Engelbrecht, Zanzibar is no longer just a postcard fantasy of beaches and spice markets; it’s increasingly a serious economic player.
He pointed to its growing mix of industries, from marine tourism and fishing to manufacturing and offshore energy exploration, arguing that the island is “an increasingly powerful magnet for investment and trade.”
New aircraft, no middle-seat misery
The Zanzibar route is also the first international service to be operated with Airlink’s new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. These jets are designed for efficiency and comfort, seating up to 136 passengers, and crucially, no middle seats.
Which means either window or aisle. No awkward elbow negotiations. No “sorry, can I just squeeze past your existential regret?” moments.
The airline’s current schedule for the Johannesburg–Zanzibar service runs as follows:
- From Johannesburg (Wed & Sun): Departs 12:00, arrives 16:35
- From Zanzibar (Mon & Thu): Departs 12:00, arrives 14:55
Cape Town joins the party – direct
Airlink will also launch a non-stop Cape Town–Zanzibar route in October, marking the island’s first direct connection from the Mother City.
Cape Town International Airport will see weekly Saturday flights starting 3 October 2026:
- Cape Town → Zanzibar: 08:15 → 14:30
- Zanzibar → Cape Town: 15:30 → 20:50
Engelbrecht said the new E195-E2 fleet makes routes like this possible, turning what used to be multi-leg journeys into straightforward, non-stop hops across the Indian Ocean.
