Turkish Airlines Cuts Five African Routes as Angola’s New Airport Struggles to Attract Passengers

Turkish Airlines has permanently removed five African destinations from its future flight schedule, including Luanda, adding pressure on Angola’s new international airport as it struggles to attract passenger traffic and build a major regional aviation hub.

The Istanbul-based airline has removed Luanda in Angola, Juba in South Sudan, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libreville in Gabon and Lusaka in Zambia from its future schedule.

The five destinations had previously been suspended until October 24, 2026, but updated schedule data tracked by aviation specialist AeroRoutes shows that Turkish Airlines has now removed them from its forward plans altogether.

The development represents a permanent change from the temporary suspensions announced earlier in 2026.

Turkish Airlines cites rising fuel costs

Turkish Airlines announced the initial suspension of several international routes in April as it reviewed its network amid higher operating costs.

For Luanda, Angola’s civil aviation regulator said the airline attributed the suspension to a significant increase in fuel costs linked to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. The airline had initially indicated that the suspension was temporary and that it would monitor operating conditions before considering a resumption.

AeroRoutes reported in April that Turkish Airlines had suspended 18 international destinations, including several African markets. The affected African destinations included Luanda, Kinshasa, Juba, Libreville and Lusaka, among others.

The latest schedule update means those five African routes are no longer simply suspended until October; they have been removed from the carrier’s future schedule.

Luanda route carried international connections

Turkish Airlines had operated Luanda as part of a triangular service involving Istanbul and Kinshasa, rather than as a conventional nonstop Istanbul-Luanda service.

The connection nevertheless provided passengers from Angola with access to Turkish Airlines’ extensive Istanbul hub and onward connections to destinations in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world.

The withdrawal also comes after other changes to international services serving Luanda.

According to Euronews, Brussels Airlines ended its Luanda service in March 2025, while TAAG Angola Airlines suspended its Madrid route in 2024. Iberia had already suspended its own Luanda service in 2016 and had subsequently relied on a codeshare arrangement with TAAG.

However, Luanda has not been abandoned by international aviation operators altogether.

The city continues to have services from carriers including TAP Air Portugal, Air France, Lufthansa, Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Airlink and TAAG. Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation also began twice-weekly flights between Kinshasa and Luanda in August 2026.

New Luanda airport faces passenger challenge

The Turkish Airlines decision comes at a critical period for Angola’s Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport, which was inaugurated in November 2023 as the country’s new international aviation gateway.

The airport, located about 45 kilometres from central Luanda, was designed with capacity for up to 15 million passengers annually. Angola’s government has presented the facility as a major infrastructure project capable of supporting the country’s international connectivity and economic development.

But actual passenger numbers have remained far below the airport’s designed capacity.

According to figures cited by Euronews from the airport’s temporary operator, ATO, the airport handled 756,028 passengers during the whole of 2025. That represents only about 5% of its stated annual capacity of 15 million passengers.

Passenger operations also took time to fully migrate from Luanda’s old Quatro de Fevereiro Airport.

Euronews reported that the complete transfer of services was only finished on March 1, 2026, when Airlink moved its Johannesburg flights to the new airport, more than two years after the facility’s inauguration.

Airport built for 15 million passengers

The scale of the airport is significant.

Angola’s government says the facility has two runways and can accommodate large aircraft, including the Airbus A380. It also has 31 passenger boarding gates, including 19 designated for international operations, alongside extensive passenger and cargo infrastructure.

The government has described the airport as a strategic infrastructure project intended to increase Angola’s international connectivity and support economic activity.

At the same time, the gap between the airport’s capacity and actual passenger volumes remains substantial.

ATO’s Director of Planning and Quality, Vissolela Chivunda, said in December 2025 that the airport was expecting approximately four million passengers in 2026, which would still represent only a fraction of its 15-million-passenger design capacity.

What Turkish Airlines’ withdrawal means for Angola

The permanent removal of Luanda from Turkish Airlines’ future schedule does not mean that Angola’s new airport has lost all international connections.

Rather, it adds another challenge to the country’s effort to establish the facility as a high-volume regional hub.

The airport continues to have several international carriers operating from Luanda, while the Angolan government has continued efforts to attract and consolidate services.

In fact, Angola’s Transport Ministry said in February 2026 that Royal Air Maroc, Turkish Airlines and ASKY Airlines had transferred their regular operations to the new airport, connecting it with Casablanca, Istanbul and Lomé.

Turkish Airlines’ subsequent withdrawal therefore represents a notable reversal in that transition.

The wider aviation picture also illustrates the difficulty of turning large airport infrastructure into a successful hub. Airport capacity alone does not guarantee high passenger volumes; airlines must also see sufficient demand and commercially sustainable operating conditions on individual routes.

For Angola, the immediate challenge will be to increase passenger traffic, attract sustainable international routes and strengthen the airport’s role as a gateway between Angola, other African markets and the wider global aviation network.

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