Turkish Airlines ends Luanda flights permanently after fuel-cost pause
Turkish Airlines has made permanent its suspension of services to Luanda, Angola, along with routes to Juba, Kinshasa, Libreville and Lusaka. The carrier had originally described the halt as temporary, citing fuel costs.
Turkish Airlines has permanently dropped Luanda from its network, according to the carrier's route plans. Services to Juba, Kinshasa, Libreville and Lusaka have also ended for good.
The airline had announced a suspension in April, calling it temporary through 24 October, citing fuel costs.
Luanda had been served through a triangular route via Kinshasa rather than a direct link, connecting the Angolan capital to Europe, Asia and other destinations through the Istanbul hub.
The decision is the latest shift in Luanda's international connectivity. Brussels Airlines ended operations there on 25 March 2025 as part of a Lufthansa Group restructuring, moving demand to Lufthansa's direct Frankfurt–Luanda flights. Iberia has not reversed its suspension of direct Luanda flights, in place since 2016, and moved to a codeshare with TAAG Angola Airlines from 2022. TAAG suspended its Madrid route in January 2024 and later dropped the planned restart. South African Airways maintains a presence in the market only by placing its code on flights operated by TAAG.
The article also notes that Air France is inaugurating a new service, with the text continuing beyond that point.
Sources
- aviacionaldia.comTurkish Airlines cancela de forma definitiva sus vuelos a Luanda (Angola) en medio de las dificultades del nuevo aeropuerto