As surprising as it may seem, Brussels Airlines is arguably the best performing airline in Europe to serve Sub-Saharan Africa, despite being the smallest of the airlines if we talk BA, AF, KL or TAP. SN closed Bamako in 2010s and Luanda last year. But it has opened Accra, reopened Nairobi, will open Kilimanjaro, and is increasing most of its flights, wile KL, AF and TAP after dedecade of expansion in Africa have closed several routes since 6-7 years. Unfortunately, it is facing strong criticism on Belgian aviation forum.
Two articles about Turkish Airlines were published within a month of each other in Jeune Afrique (March 2026 and April 2026). I won't give a lengthy summary of the first one.
First article (March 18, 2026)
Turkish Airlines maintains its course in Africa despite the turbulence
Opening new routes, increasing capacity, maintaining its presence in the Sahel… Facing competition from Air France and the Gulf giants, Turkish Airlines has been building its network across the continent in recent years. Will the conflict in the Middle East complicate its expansion?
https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1774947/ec ... rbulences/
The first article states that Turkish Airlines had the capacity to adapt to Africa because it has a large network via Istanbul, even though this could depend on the intensity of the crisis in the Middle East and the rise in fuel prices. It also uses B737-800 aircraft, which allows it to serve many destinations in Africa with high frequencies. It also benefits from the withdrawal of European airlines from certain West African destinations.
In Bamako, it transported 65,000 passengers in 2024, including 20,000 from Europe. I will talk about again Bamako for the second article, as it is still being discussed.
Finally, the article explains that Turkish Airlines does not own stakes in African airlines, but has significant codeshare agreements with South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, Air Algérie, and RwandAir (not mentioned in the article). Turkish Airlines places its TK code on routes operated by the mentioned African airlines, and these African airlines put their codes on Turkish Airlines flights departing from Istanbul.
https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1774947/ec ... rbulences/
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2nd article (April 27, 2026)
Why Turkish Airlines is finally forced to scale back its operations in Africa
Turkish Airlines cuts its African network for summer 2026: ten destinations eliminated or suspended. Behind these decisions lie the soaring price of kerosene and the crisis in the Middle East.
https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1791738/ec ... continent/
We have learned that Turkish Airlines will suspend service to certain destinations in Africa for 6 or 12 months. Unsurprisingly, these are destinations that are either unprofitable or barely profitable. For example, we learn that on the Freetown-Istanbul route operated via Ouagadougou, Turkish Airlines carries only about forty passengers to Freetown after its stopover in Ouagadougou.
Regarding Bamako, the volume is quite significant, with 65,000 passengers in 2024. Bamako is Turkish Airlines' third most important destination in Francophone West Africa, after Dakar and Abidjan. Turkish Airlines benefited somewhat from the suspension of Air France flights to Bamako (+2,000 passengers on the Istanbul-Europe-Bamako route vs 2023).
However, the airline faces significant competition on the Paris-Bamako route. Corsair, which operates flights between Paris Orly and Bamako, carried 91,000 passengers in 2025. In addition, it faces competition from Royal Air Maroc (they will increase some routes in W and C Africa for this summer
https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260429-atjun26af), Tunisair, and Air Algérie. In Asia, it competes with Ethiopian Airlines, which carried 152,000 passengers to and from Bamako, including... 76,000 who traveled to Dubai via Addis Ababa!!!
Emirates announced a Bamako-Dubai route in 2016 (
https://www.emirates.com/media-centre/e ... nama-city/), but bookings unfortunately closed before the first flight. It remains to be seen whether Emirates might launch the Bamako route once the situation in Mali has calmed down. I could see it working well with a tag-along service via Conakry and Dakar being served non-stop again.
Speaking of calm, that's precisely the problem in Mali: the insecurity that also led Turkish Airlines to suspend its flights. There have been fuel supply issues in Mali for months, and the various rebel groups still have the capacity to destabilize the country.
The biggest loser is undoubtedly Central Africa, which is surely the least well-served region in Africa, whether from Europe or via major African airlines. In Southern Africa, Lusaka and Luanda will be suspended, and in East Africa, Juba will be suspended.
Personal opinion (not in the article)
Etihad's arrivals in Kinshasa shouldn't obscure the poor service to Central Africa. Pointe Noire, Kinshasa, and Libreville are all affected by the suspensions. Don't forget that Turkish Airlines closed its route to Malabo during the COVID-19 pandemic. Libreville is only served by Air France from Europe. Bangui is no longer served by Air France. Malabo has not been served by Turkish Airlines since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Iberia closed its route just under 10 years ago. Only Lufthansa and Air France remain, cause Air Plus Ultra appears to have closed its MAD Malabo route.
. It's worth noting that Kenya Airways also closed its routes to Brazzaville, Libreville, and Bangui during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Southern Africa, I'm not expecting anything new. The strong service to Europe is concentrated on South Africa, Angola (which has lost British Airways, Iberia, Brussels Airlines and KLM in less than 10 years!), and Mauritius. For Namibia, Madagascar, and Mozambique, the focus is on the former colonial empire. Lusaka and Luanda will be suspended, and it's uncertain whether Turkish Airlines' projects in Namibia are still on the table in the short term. As for Zimbabwe, the country has been trying to attract Turkish for 10 years.
East Africa is the least affected region, with only Juba going to be suspended. Unsurprisingly, it's one of the most attractive regions in Africa. Turkish Airlines is even adding flights to Mauritius and Tanzania. Apart from Rwanda, regarding flights between the Middle East and East Africa, it seems to me that almost everyone has resumed operations (Gulf Air, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Flynas, Air Arabia, etc.).
The paradox of Africa is that there is momentum, but airlines are much more cautious. Turkish Airlines is doing what TAP Air Portugal, Air France, and KLM have done in recent years. Or, if we go back further, British Airways closed dozens of routes in Africa in the 2000s and 2010s.
After a decade of expansion, they closed unprofitable routes. TAP Air Portugal, for example, closed its routes to Conakry, Lomé, and Abidjan after the COVID-19 pandemic. Air France closed routes to Bangui, Port Harcourt, Accra, Monrovia, and Freetown, to name just a few destinations. KLM closed its Windhoek and Luanda routes in the 2020s. Monrovia and Freetown closed in 2019. In the early 2010s, KLM closed one of its oldest routes in Africa: Kano, Nigeria, which it had served since 1946 (
https://www.facebook.com/FreedomRadioNi ... 530893035/).
Rwanda Aviation News (Drones, Air Force, Civil Aviation, Space, Air Balloon): https://www.facebook.com/RwandAn-Flyer-153177931456873
