R6 613 Find Cheap Flights from Europe to South Africa – Compare and Save

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Low season

June

Cheapest flight

R6 613
Best time to beat the crowds (5% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (16% more expensive on average)
Flight from Frankfurt Airport to OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg

Flights from Europe to South Africa: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew the route from Europe to South Africa 
BernardFlew with Lufthansa-Aug 2026
If you have a window seat you will board before aisle and middle seats. This supposedly improves the boarding time but it is stressful if you are in the last boarding group and don’t know if there will still be space for your hand luggage. The food on board was enjoyable and the in-flight experience is pleasant if you dont need to rely on the entertainment screen, which is unresponsive and hard to use. I watched my own pre-downloaded series on my phone so didn’t have a problem.
VladimirFlew with Lufthansa-Sept 2024
Munich has the best organized facilities,very practical and logic. When it comes to the airlines it would be top three, KLM, Qattar, Turkish. Boarding, top 3, Munich, Amsterdam, Doha.
GerhardFlew with British Airways-Apr 2024
dont rely on the departure boards in the BA lounge. And prepare to have to tag and check in your own bag, even when flying business class
Verified travelerFlew with Air France-Dec 2023
The main advice is to take a direct flight. These are not everyday but they save you time when you are exhausted after a long flight. Also be careful about safety after arrival.
GregFlew with British Airways-Dec 2023
Leave at least an hour for luggage to arrive at JNB.

FAQs for booking flights from Europe to South Africa

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Europe to South Africa?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Europe to South Africa.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Europe to South Africa?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Europe to South Africa is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Europe to South Africa?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly from Europe to South Africa with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Europe to South Africa?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from Europe to South Africa up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which airlines fly most frequently to South Africa?

    Europe and South Africa are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are South African (37 flights per week), Scandinavian Airlines (31 flights per week), and Delta (24 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in South Africa?

    There are 19 airports in South Africa. The busiest airport is OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg (JNB), with 54% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in South Africa?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in South Africa is Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB), with an average flight price of R14 915.

  • What is the cheapest flight to South Africa?

    The cheapest ticket to South Africa from Europe found in the last 5 days was to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, at R7 551 return. The most popular route is Amsterdam (AMS) to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) and the cheapest return ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was R7 551.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from Europe to South Africa?

    The cheapest month for flights from Europe to South Africa is November, when tickets cost R9 521 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is R13 632 and R13 193 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from Europe to South Africa?

    To get a below-average price on a flight from Europe to South Africa, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 2% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 15 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to South Africa?

    From Europe, there are direct flights to South Africa from 8 cities. The city with the most direct flights is London, with 115 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to South Africa are there each day?

    There are around 55 direct flights from within Europe to South Africa every day. Most flights (56%) depart at night.

  • How many direct flights to South Africa are there each week?

    Each week there are around 382 direct flights from within Europe to South Africa. The most common day for departures is Friday, with 15% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to South Africa?

    An average direct flight from Europe to South Africa takes 14h 57m, covering a distance of 14782 km. The shortest route is Munich (MUC) to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) with an average flight time of 10h 20m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to South Africa each week?

    There aren’t any medium-haul (3-6 hour flight duration) or short-haul (up to 3 hour flight duration) flights to South Africa. Instead, there are 382 long-haul flights (6-12 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from London.

  • What are the most popular destinations in South Africa?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Cape Town (58% of total searches to South Africa). The next most popular destinations are Johannesburg (37%) and Sun City Resort (3%). Searches for flights to Durban (2%) and to Port Elizabeth (1%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying from Europe to South Africa

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Europe to South Africa? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7,8
KLMOverall score based on 1575 reviews
7,2Entertainment
7,7Comfort
7,3Food
8,4Crew
7,8Boarding
Airline reviews

I think I previously submitted my feedback about flight lead Katherine in a different field by mistake. Please see those comments. Comments for Hyd to AMS are it was good. The flight lead and service met expectations for satisfactory high quality service but the flight lead did not stand out as exceptional as did the leads on the other two flights so I don’t remember anything specific one way or the other besides the fact I was satisfied.

10,0 ExcellentEmily, Jul 2026
Read more KLM reviews

I think I previously submitted my feedback about flight lead Katherine in a different field by mistake. Please see those comments. Comments for Hyd to AMS are it was good. The flight lead and service met expectations for satisfactory high quality service but the flight lead did not stand out as exceptional as did the leads on the other two flights so I don’t remember anything specific one way or the other besides the fact I was satisfied.

Our first flight was delayed so we missed our connecting flight. However it was easy to book a later flight on their app.

This fight left ahead of time which meant it arrived early which was great. Staff were very professional, but as with all these Short hop Flights the food was a disappointing snack There was no entertainment on this flight, but I did not expect any

The flight was great, the only reason for middle scores on entertainment and food is that it was a short flight so not included (but snacks were served including alcoholic beverages free of charge). I would definitely recommend KLM.

Quick and efficient as always. Air France managed to loose and damage my luggage that never made it onto my KLM flight.

The flight itself it was great nice food the crew were very nice and helpful, Checking in from Birmingham wasn't great long queues for bag dropped, And I had my hand luggage case taken away from me even though I requested to have it with me as I had breakables items. I was told I can not because of the length of the flight with no explanation at all no options was given for me to take my fragile items out of my case it was taken away with hold buggage I find the staff member who was checking me in very unpleasant !! Can we please be advise if the rules have changed about the the carry on hand luggage it will be easier to be advise on booking your tickect if we not allowed to take the hand luggage with me. Overall I had a good flight .

I requested wheel chair assistance , it was confirmed via email that inwoood get it but I didn’t get it . The last leg of my trip to Nigeria was the worst.

Amazing KLM service and brilliant economy comfort seats. Well worth the extra.

The boarding was one of the worst I’ve ever experienced. The fault lays on Ohare Airport and not so much the airline. The waiting area by the gate was the size to accommodate a regional flight for 20-30 people and right next to a busy walkway. When you cramped nearly 300 passengers into that space is was unbearable.

Boarding in NCL is really bad. I'm sure part of that is a directive from the airport that KLM can't change but part of that is due to KLM policy. NCL doesn't announce the gate of departure until 30 minutes before departure. However, when you arrive at the gate area, the gate agents file everyone into one long line and everyone boards from one line at one time. This line can stretch for 200m...easily. There is a separate line for groups 1 and 2 but you don't know it until you get to the gate area and agents don't announce/advertise it. Everyone else is grouped into one line. Are you in group 3? Doesn't matter...you board with group 5. Traveling with a child? Tough luck...you're stuck at the end of the line and board last. The last part is very annoying because none of the gates at NCL (with the exception of 1 used by Emirates) has a jetway. To board, you must leave the gate area, walk downstairs, walk onto the tarmac and walk up stairs to board the plane. Highly challenging if you're traveling with small children. That boarding process begs for a concession to allow people with children to board first because they will need extra time. But there is no such policy. Just a really horrible boarding experience all around.

I never went you have me confused with someone else! I don’t know how this happene

It was crowded… the bathrooms dirty and smelly. The seats have been made even smaller.

The connecting flight experience was okay. Flight crew's service were great upon settling. However, it wasn't the same as previous flight. Flight crew were okay - friendly, however, not as accommodating.

Customer service was poor everywhere. In particular in business class lounge. Stewardess were however excellent. No ability to order more than one dietary restriction in food that created awkward situations when I was offered bulgur due to being diabetic as I was also gluten free

Amazing! Big line at Check in was diminished in 10 minutes. Boarding was quick and efficient. Service and food great. Only minor point: seats could be a little broader and for me being small, something to put your feet on during the flight would be great.

Make sure to request a vegetarian meal in advance. They printed out menus for all passengers with the options but by the time they were halfway through (for breakfast and dinner), the vegetarian options were already all taken.

Very good except the boarding process too forever and wasn’t organized by group. I had a heavy pack or I wouldn’t have minded. I was in business. There were no audible announcements in the waiting area about boarding and everyone packed into the boarding area. Then boarding stopped for a long time but the staff made no announcements to update waiting passengers about the holdup. The flight was good after we got on.

I have been flying Turkish Airlines for the last 5 years it’s always great service, on time , excellent food, only one thing wasn’t reliable is their on board WiFi most of the time it doesn’t work.

This is the first and last time I will be traveling Turkish airlines. The flight was delayed three times. Second time we sat on the aircraft for approximately an hour and a half. Initially told that the delay would only be 15 minutes then no explanation thereafter except that we were deboarding. We missed our connecting flights to Zimbabwe, and had to pay for a overnight hotel stay in addition to paying for a new tickets to our get to our final destination. They allowed us to order food from the airport food court but only from fast food and even that they limited the menu items we could select. I would some to contact me about the refund on the hotel and the connecting flight!

The worst seats ever it seems like I was sitting on a rock

I liked everything about the flight. The only thing I would suggest improving is the cleanliness of the plane. With better cleaning, the overall experience would be much better.

It was a great experience for my first time flying with this airline. I will be flying with them a lot more now. Plane crew was amazing.

The Boeing 737 MAX on this route, flown in the middle of the night, is an UTTER FAILURE for business travellers. The whole point of business travel is to arrive alert and recover from travel quickly, and this little aeroplane with its quarter recline uncomfortable business seats does nothing for that. It’s a small step up from economy in that you have decent legroom, but that’s it. Absolute margin at the cost of the traveller.

It was very bad experience with Ethiopian airlines . The flight was delayed in both ways . On the way coming back one of the crews dropped hot coffee on my whole body and other crew dropped used dirty glasses on top of me . The same crew that dropped hot coffee on me hit me with the food trolley on my knee while I was sleeping . I couldn’t sit properly due to the pain on my knee caused by those irresponsible crews . Very unprofessional airlines

Flight was delayed an hour. Also, I bought an extra legroom seat online; but the actually plane was a different configuration so I didn't get what I paid for . This happened on the Addis to Lusaka leg of my trip.

Very bad experience flight was over 5 hours delayed 😑 not a chance to be put on another flight we had to stay at the hotel we lost 2 days on our vacation. Never again I will fligh with Ethiopian airlines.

The use of a domestic carrier without entertainment was disappointing and a let down

There where no ear phones provided and the food needs to improve.

Choice of Vegetarian Food in Economy class needs overhaul improvement

The food could be better, the beef was quite tough. The crew were friendly and helpful on this flight, which has not being my experience on other Ethiopian flights.

I was first assigned a seat that could not recline fully and was at the back of the craft. I was not able to select another seat during check-in even when opting to pay for selecting a different seat. I had to contact the airline and spent 25min with a chatbot and was then transferred to an agent who was very helpful and could change my seat (free of charge). The entire process took me one hour. If I happened to not have that hour available this would have been a problem. And that was only to check in. The next problem is that the airport lounge I had access to is located landside. How strange. So it means that you need to allow time for security check and passport control and boarding time when leaving the lounge, which makes it almost pointless having lounge access unless you have a very long layover or arrive 5 hours before the flight. Inflight service was okay. But not up to par with the likes of QA, SQ or CX, even though the price is the same or even more. It was much better than the domestic flight where Lufthansa is actually a low-cost airline with legacy airline prices.

The crew were excellent, smiling and kind. The seats were good for economy though my seat back got a bit sticky from getting out of the reclining position. The food was good for a Kosher meal, better than usual. Entertainment was okay, but there was no Wi-fi available the entire flight. Overall the flight was fine for an overnight flight. The flight attendant in my section was absolutely delightful.

This was the best carrier, comfort, service, good food, on time experience on a long haul flight. New, clean, quiet, smooth aircraft!!!

Flight from Washington to Munich it was disappointing. I do not get the seat for what i pay. And the crew were rude with people which speaks other languages than german!

Staff are really not attentive. Seem rather disinterested in attending to the customers in general.

Crew was very nice and helpful. It was a good flight experience.

Food was OK.. nothing to rave about but it was tasty enough. Many choices to choose from for entertainment. Seats tight but comfortable. Flight attendants cheerful & helpful.

The flight was smooth and on time. Check-in and boarding was very efficient. The flight was very comfortable and there was good entertainment and food on offer.

The first flight from Denver was okay in terms of food and service of the crew. However, in the second flight they did not have the food I had requested prior to boarding and service was also poor. Never booking a flight with Lufthansa again.

Late. Late to leave. Late to arrive. Left sitting on the tarmac. Same as the departing flight. Lufthansa is awful.

The staff were fantastic and couldn't have been more accomodating; however, the air-conditioning was broken in our section of the aircraft, leaving us feeling extremely cold and unwell on arrival in Johannesbury. The head sets were also faulty, causing difficulty when listening to announcements and entertainment.

Terrible, We experienced massive delays and then couldn’t book a hotel through the link provided, nothing was available. We then went to the airport the next day and experienced further delays, almost no communication was given. We had dinner at lunchtime and breakfast at midnight. We then landed in Jhb at 1am and had to book another hotel as our flight to durban was at 8am. The experience was painful and very expensive.

Ok we did get an upgrade and the flight was delayed 45 minutes BUT without any bias. The crew were excellent, friendly, efficient and verging on exuberant, they all were so happy to do their jobs. Food excellent and the new safety video is fun to watch.

old seat need to go! outdated and uncomfortable. I waited 40 minutes for my bag

Flight on time. Food was poor - low quality and hard to eat due to poor layout

The crew on board were all very pleasant and happy to help. The flight had the old business class seats. The departure board in the business lounge did not update and kept on saying ' gate open' but never said boarding. When I got nervous about the departure time and walked to the gate I was told off rudely for being late.

Chaotic boarding at JNB, last minute gate change with no announcements.

Struggled with boarding pass on my iPhone.Suggest taking a printed copy. We sat upper deck at the rear on right hand side and best Economy flight in years. Bins below the windows made a massive difference for storage etc. inflight entertainment played up for a few pax but we were fine. Crew were first rate. Overall an excellent flight

They ran out of starter options but the alternative was okay. Just disappointed

Flight Beverly delayed and communication around that was poor. The actual boarding was lengthy and confusing.

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