Turkish Airlines has permanently removed Luanda from its future schedule, adding to a series of international carriers that have reduced or ended services to Angola’s new capital airport. The decision raises fresh questions about whether Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport can become the regional aviation hub planned by the Angolan government.
The Istanbul-based airline had initially suspended its Luanda service temporarily, citing fuel costs. However, the route was later removed from future schedules alongside services to Juba, Kinshasa, Libreville and Lusaka.
Turkish Airlines ends Luanda service
Turkish Airlines had operated Luanda as part of a triangular route through Kinshasa rather than as a direct Istanbul–Luanda connection. Despite that arrangement, the service provided passengers in the Angolan capital with access to Turkish Airlines’ wider network through Istanbul, including destinations in Europe and Asia.
The carrier first announced the suspension in April, with flights initially removed through 24 October. The later deletion from the airline’s future schedule indicates that the Luanda service will not return under the current plan.
The move is part of a broader reduction in the airline’s African network. Alongside Luanda, Turkish Airlines removed Juba, Kinshasa, Libreville and Lusaka from its planned schedules after those routes had also been suspended.
Why Luanda’s new airport is struggling
Several airlines have scaled back operations in Luanda since Angola opened Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport in 2023. The airport, located roughly 45 kilometres from central Luanda, was designed and built with capacity for up to 15 million passengers a year.
Passenger numbers, however, remain far below that level. Figures from the airport’s temporary operator, ATO, show that the facility handled 756,028 passengers throughout 2025. That represents only a small share of its planned annual capacity.
By 24 February 2026, the airport had recorded 1,090,861 passengers since the first domestic flight in November 2024. The total included 444,212 international passengers.
The figures are significant because the airport was presented as a future regional hub capable of attracting more international routes and connecting Angola with major markets. Low demand makes it harder for airlines to operate services profitably, particularly when fuel, aircraft utilisation and airport access costs remain important considerations.
Delayed transfer from Luanda’s old airport
The transfer of airline operations from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport took considerably longer than initially expected. The full move was completed on 1 March 2026, when South African carrier Airlink transferred its Johannesburg services to the new airport.
The delay meant that the new facility operated alongside the old airport for more than two years after its inauguration. That extended transition may have complicated passenger habits, airline scheduling and the airport’s effort to establish itself as Luanda’s main international gateway.
Other airlines have also reduced Luanda links
Turkish Airlines is not the only carrier to have changed its Luanda plans.
- Brussels Airlines ended its Luanda service on 25 March 2025 during a restructuring within the Lufthansa Group. Passengers were redirected towards Lufthansa’s direct Frankfurt–Luanda flights.
- TAAG Angola Airlines suspended its Madrid route, which was codeshared with Iberia, in January 2024 and later removed a planned return from its schedule.
- Iberia has not restored its own Luanda flights, which have been suspended since 2016. The Spanish carrier had instead codeshared with TAAG from 2022, but that connection has also ended.
- South African Airways places its code on TAAG-operated flights rather than operating its own Luanda service.
These changes do not mean that Luanda has lost all international connectivity. The city remains served by 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 from Kinshasa on 21 August.
Can Luanda become a regional aviation hub?
Airport officials have continued to express confidence in the facility’s long-term prospects. In December 2025, ATO Director of Planning and Quality Vissolela Chivunda said the airport expected to handle around four million passengers in 2026.
That projection would represent substantial growth from the 2025 total, but it would still be well below the airport’s designed capacity of 15 million passengers a year. Achieving it will depend on passenger demand, airline economics, reliable connections and the ability to attract new routes.
For travellers, fewer airline choices can affect fares, connection times and access to international destinations. For Angola, the stakes are broader: the airport is intended to support trade, tourism, business travel and the country’s position as an air transport centre in southern Africa.
What happens next?
The immediate effect of Turkish Airlines’ decision is a reduction in route choice between Luanda and the carrier’s Istanbul network. Passengers will need to consider other airlines or alternative connecting hubs for journeys between Angola, Europe and Asia.
The longer-term test will be whether existing airlines can expand their operations and whether new carriers are willing to enter the market. Until passenger numbers rise significantly, airlines are likely to assess Luanda cautiously rather than commit to large-scale network growth.
For now, the new airport remains operational and internationally connected, but Turkish Airlines’ withdrawal highlights the gap between its ambitious design capacity and current demand. The airport’s success will ultimately depend less on its physical size than on whether it can generate enough regular passenger traffic to support a wider range of routes.
Conclusion
Turkish Airlines’ decision to permanently drop Luanda is another setback for Angola’s effort to establish its new airport as a regional hub. The facility still has services from several major international airlines, but its low passenger volumes and the departure of multiple carriers show that attracting sustainable demand remains the central challenge.
