The international airline Turkish Airlines has permanently ceased service to Luanda, adding to the growing list of carriers leaving the Angolan capital following the opening of the new airport. The Istanbul-based airline removed Luanda from its future schedule at the beginning of this month, having previously suspended the route until October 24th. Initially, the airline attributed this suspension to temporary reasons, citing rising fuel prices.
Luanda was one of five African destinations that Turkish Airlines dropped, alongside Djibouti, Kinshasa, Libreville, and Lusaka. Previously, the airline served flights to Luanda via Kinshasa, rather than directly. Nevertheless, this connecting route allowed travelers from Angola to utilize Turkish Airlines' extensive network through Istanbul, including onward destinations in Europe, Asia, and other regions.
These route reductions occur as the Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport in Luanda continues to struggle to attract the expected number of passengers. The airport, located approximately 45 kilometers from Luanda city center, opened in November 2023 and was designed to handle up to 15 million passengers annually.
However, in 2025, it only accommodated 756,028 passengers, according to data from its temporary operator, ATO. Although passenger numbers have since increased, they remain significantly below the planned capacity. As of February 24, 2026, over one million passengers have passed through the airport since the start of domestic flights in November 2024, of which 444,212 were international passengers.
The transfer of flights from the former Quatro de Fevereiro airport in Luanda was only completed in March 2026, when the South African carrier Airlink moved its flights from Johannesburg to the new airport.
Other airlines have reduced their presence in Luanda
Turkish Airlines is not the only international carrier to reduce its presence in Luanda. Brussels Airlines discontinued service to Luanda in March 2025 as part of a broader restructuring within the Lufthansa group. Passengers were instead directed to a direct Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Luanda.
Angola's national carrier, TAAG, suspended its Madrid route in January 2024. This service operated in partnership with Iberia, which had already suspended its direct flights to Luanda in 2016. Iberia subsequently collaborated with TAAG under a codeshare agreement, but even this connection was terminated.
South African Airways does not operate its own service to Luanda but uses its code on flights operated by TAAG. Despite these departures, Luanda maintains connections with several major international aviation hubs. Currently, TAP Air Portugal, Air France, Lufthansa, Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Airlink, and TAAG fly into the Angolan capital. Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation also began operating flights between Kinshasa and Luanda twice a week in August 2026.
The Angolan government hoped that the new airport would help transform Luanda into a major regional aviation hub. ATO reported in December 2025 that it expects the airport to serve around four million passengers in 2026, which is still significantly below the annual capacity of 15 million passengers. For travelers, the loss of Turkish Airlines means fewer connection options between Angola and destinations in Europe, Asia, and beyond, especially for those who previously used Istanbul as a hub.