Turkish Airlines has permanently removed flights to Luanda (Luanda), the capital of Angola, from its schedule. This change in flights is due to multiple challenges faced by the new airport in Angola. This decision is the latest in a series of actions taken by many international airlines since the opening of this airport in 2023.
History of Flights and Frequent Cancellations
Turkish Airlines has recently removed Luanda from its future plans. This airline, alongside the halted flights to Juba, Kinshasa, Libreville, and Lusaka, has also suspended its flights to Luanda in mid-month. Previously, Turkish Airlines had announced in April that the suspension of flights to Luanda was temporary, citing fuel costs as the reason for this action. The airline's flights were conducted in a triangular route through Kinshasa, which provided access for Luanda passengers to various destinations in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world via Istanbul.
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Impact on Angola's Aviation Industry
The suspension of flights to Luanda comes at a time when Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport, located 45 kilometers from the center of Luanda, is trying to establish itself as a regional hub. This airport, built by the Chinese state company AVIC, has an annual capacity of 15 million passengers, but in 2025, it only transported 756,028 passengers. According to provided statistics, since the start of domestic flights in November 2024 until February 24 of this year, the number of passengers has reached 1,090,861, including 444,212 international passengers.
Although the new airport has just begun its operations, it faces serious challenges in attracting passengers. In December 2025, ATO's planning and quality manager, Visolla Chiwanda, had predicted that this airport expects to handle about 4 million passengers in 2026. Meanwhile, several other airlines, including Brussels Airlines and Iberia, have also suspended their flights to Luanda due to decreased demand.
Future Outlook for the Airport and Aviation Industry
Currently, Luanda is only connected to international destinations through several airlines. These include TAP Air Portugal, Air France, Lufthansa, Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Airlink, and TAAG. However, given recent decisions and declining demand, the outlook for Angola's aviation industry is shrouded in uncertainty. While the new airport is striving to be recognized as an important hub in the region, it remains to be seen whether it can quickly respond to existing challenges and improve its service levels.
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