A SECOND JOHANNESBURG GATEWAY ON SOUTHERN AFRICA’S BUSIEST CORRIDOR

Airlink has announced that it will launch three times weekly flights between Johannesburg Lanseria International Airport and Harare from 15 November 2026, with bookings now open. The service will be the first ever scheduled airline service between Lanseria and Zimbabwe’s capital, and marks Airlink’s first scheduled operation from the privately owned airport. The airline will continue to operate its existing Harare services from O.R. Tambo International Airport, with the Lanseria flights augmenting rather than replacing that capacity.

The commercial logic rests on catchment. De Villiers Engelbrecht, Airlink’s Chief Executive, said Johannesburg–Harare was one of the busiest routes in Southern Africa and had seen demand averaging around 60,000 seats a month in 2025, and that a significant percentage of that market comprised people within Lanseria’s catchment area. Lanseria sits north-west of Johannesburg and serves communities and businesses on the western side of Gauteng and in North West Province — a population for whom reaching O.R. Tambo involves crossing the metropolitan area, with the surface journey frequently exceeding the flight time to Harare. For those passengers the new service removes a ground leg rather than adding an air one.

SCHEDULE AND WHAT IT PERMITS

Flight 4Z 090 will depart Lanseria at 07:00 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving in Harare at 08:40. The return, 4Z 091, will depart Harare at 17:45 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving at Lanseria at 19:25. All times are local. The pattern is worth noting for travellers planning itineraries: because outbound and return operate on different days, the schedule does not permit same-day or next-day returns on the Lanseria service alone, with the shortest available round trip running from a Monday departure to a Wednesday return. Passengers requiring shorter turnarounds retain the option of Airlink’s existing O.R. Tambo services, and the two schedules together give the airline a broader set of timing options across the corridor than either provides alone.

AIRCRAFT AND ONBOARD PRODUCT

The route will be operated by an Embraer E190 configured for 98 passengers in two classes — six Business Class and 92 Economy. Airlink notes that the configuration provides only window and aisle seats, with no middle seats on any of its flights, a consequence of the E-Jet’s four-abreast cabin cross-section that the airline has made a consistent element of its market positioning. Complimentary meals and refreshments are served on board.

Airlink was established in 1992 and operates a fleet of over 70 jetliners across Southern Africa, Madagascar and St Helena Island, with worldwide connections through its partner airlines and its FlyNamibia franchise. The airline is an IATA member, accredited under the IOSA safety audit programme and certified through the IATA Environmental Assessment programme. Its Skybucks frequent flyer programme is partnered with Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club.