Spanish airline Air Europa will launch a new direct route between Madrid and Johannesburg this June, the first non-stop flight connection between Spain and southern Africa since Iberia pulled out in 2019.
Air Europa has set June 24th 2026 as the start date for its first direct connection between Madrid and Johannesburg.
This new route will operate three flights a week.
Flights from Madrid Barajas will depart from Madrid on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.
Air Europa has chosen its Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft for the 10 hour and 5 minutes journey.
Spanish national carrier Iberia cancelled its Madrid-Johannesburg route in 2019, arguing that the route was not profitable.
This has meant that people travelling between Spain and South Africa have had to do stopovers in other European countries, the Middle East or other African nations.
Spain’s immigration and statistics bodies have not updated their stats for South African residents since 2022, when there were an estimated 2,000 ‘Saffas’ living in the country.
Prices for the direct flights are high over the summer, but a return flight from Spain’s capital to Joburg in September is in the range of €700 to €800.
Historically, the Spain-South Africa connection hasn’t been the most popular, which explains why it’s run intermittently from 1988 to 2012 and then 2016 to 2019.
But according to Air Europa, it’s worth betting on again, since Johannesburg is the main air hub for southern Africa from which to reach Cape Town, Namibia and Botswana.
The airline also believes the new route will be a big draw for business travellers, especially in sectors such as infrastructure, mining, energy, fishing and financial services.
Alongside Johannesburg, Air Europa will expand its presence in northern Africa in 2026. During the summer season, it will resume operations to Marrakech and Tunis, and for the first time will add flights to Tangier.
