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Find cheap flights to South Africa from $818

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Australia to South Africa departing on 9/5. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
Sat 25/5
Sat 1/6

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Best South Africa Flight Deals

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Johannesburg
Johannesburgdirect$1,463
Cape Town
Cape Town2 stops$1,799
Durban
Durban2 stops$2,100
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth3 stops$2,139
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg2 stops$3,097
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein2 stops$2,555

Good to know

Low season

July

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$818
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 10% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly (34% more expensive on average)
Flight from Perth to Johannesburg

FAQs - booking South Africa flights

  • Which is a convenient airport for Robben Island?

    Robben Island is a top attraction in South Africa. You may not find a direct flight from Australia to the destination, but flying to Cape Town International Airport is convenient. You can then take a car or ferry, which takes roughly 30min to reach the site.

  • Which airport is close to Soweto?

    O.R. Tambo International Airport is an ideal destination if you’re flying from Australia to South Africa to visit Soweto. You can then take a train or bus to the destination. Taking a shuttle would also be ideal, as it only takes roughly 33min to reach Soweto.

  • Which holidays affect flights to South Africa?

    South Africa celebrates various annual holidays that could impact your travel. Most of these holidays, such as Heritage Day, celebrate cultural diversity and the country’s history, attracting thousands of tourists. Fares often hike due to high demand, so be sure to book in advance or consider alternative dates.

  • Can I bring my pet when flying to South Africa?

    It’s important that you check your airline’s policies to choose what suits best when travelling with a pet. Qantas allows service animals in the passenger cabin while other pets travel in a dedicated area in the aircraft. Singapore Airlines allow emotional support pets on board, free of charge, and other pets as checked luggage.

  • What are the major airports in South Africa?

    There are several major international airports in South Africa, dotted across the country. The O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Lanseria International Airport (HLA) both serve Pretoria and Johannesburg, the King Shaka International Airport (DUR) is located near Duban, and the Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is about an hour out of Cape Town in Matroosfontein.

  • Where should I fly into to explore South Africa?

    South Africa is a large country and the most efficient way to explore everything the country has to offer is to fly between the main centres. South Africa’s biggest airport is the O.R. Tambo in Johannesburg. From here you will be able to connect to many domestic flights all over the country, as well as explore the sites of one of South Africa’s major cities. However, the most centrally placed large city in South Africa is Bloemfontein, serviced by the Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN)

  • Does South Africa have any local airlines?

    There is a wide range of airlines based in South Africa. South Africa’s major airline is South African Airways which also flies internationally. Due to the country’s historic ties with the UK, British Airways also has a strong presence in South Africa, particularly in Johannesburg. SA Express and SA Airlink also offer a range of flights throughout Southern Africa.

  • How do I travel around South Africa on a budget?

    The most popular budget airline in South Africa for locals and tourists alike is Kulula. Often fondly referred to as the green dragon, it flies to many of South Africa’s major ports. The bright orange Mango Airlines is another good alternative, as is FlySafair, the budget airline owned by Safair. To help you get around South Africa, you can combine your flights with the various regional bus services including Greyhound, Intercape, and Baz Bus.

  • How long is the flight to South Africa?

    An average direct flight from Australia to South Africa takes 32h 23m, covering a distance of 16746 km. The most popular route is Sydney - Johannesburg with an average flight time of 14h 40m.

  • What is the cheapest flight to South Africa?

    The cheapest ticket to South Africa from Australia found in the last 72 hours was $670 one-way, and $1,463 round-trip. The most popular route is Sydney Kingsford Smith to Johannesburg OR Tambo and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $1,733.

  • Which airlines fly to South Africa?

    EL AL, Qantas Airways & South African fly the most frequently from Australia to South Africa.

  • What are the most popular destinations in South Africa?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Johannesburg (54% of total searches to South Africa). The next most popular destinations are Cape Town (34%) and Durban (7%). Searches for flights to Bloemfontein (1%), to Hoedspruit (1%) and to Pietermaritzburg (1%) are also popular.

  • How does KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

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

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to South Africa

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest South Africa flight deals.
  • Qatar Airways, Virgin Australia, South African Airways and Etihad Airways operate flights on this route. Virgin Australia offers competitive prices and flexibility to popular destinations in South Africa. There are typically four classes available: Economy Classic, Economy Delight, Premium and Upper Class. You can also enjoy a comfortable and hospitable trip to South Africa with Etihad Airways.
  • It is wise to choose your arrival airport based on your final destination in South Africa and the price. If you want to stay or travel around Johannesburg, O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) will be a good bet because of its proximity to several destinations and accommodation options. Alternatively, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is a good choice to access the South African business hub.
  • From Australia, the easiest locations in South Africa to fly to are Johannesburg and Cape Town. You can find flights to these cities from Melbourne, Brisbane, or Sydney with only one stopover.
  • There are many long-haul carriers that offer flights from Australia to South Africa such as Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Cathay Pacific. If you want to fly local, Qantas Airlines offers flights to Johannesburg.
  • Surfers and sea-lovers looking to enjoy the southern coast can either fly into Cape Town International Airport (CPT) or Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ). Between the major cities are plenty of coastline and many popular surfing locations. It takes approximately 8h to drive from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.
  • If you’re looking to enjoy the natural reserves and safari parks in South Africa, Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga is a good option. This area is served by the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP), or many travel from Johannesburg, which is a 3 to 4h drive to Nelspruit.
  • Australian passport holders will not need a visa to enter South Africa whether you’re travelling as a tourist or on business, provided your stay is only for up to 90 days. However, you will need to pay a tourism or visa fee on entry into South Africa.
See more tips

Top 5 airlines flying to South Africa

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Australia 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.
8.2
Singapore AirlinesOverall score based on 1479 reviews
8.1comfort
7.8food
8.7crew
8.2entertainment
8.4boarding
Airline reviews

Good flight. The food was served a bit late, hence a hurry to finish before landing. Excellent crew and service

10.0 ExcellentYM, Apr 2024MEL - SIN
Read more about Singapore Airlines reviews

Good flight. The food was served a bit late, hence a hurry to finish before landing. Excellent crew and service

Great to have actual hot tastey meal on a flight. Well done

Seating cramped; close to toilet, foul smelling and noisy, very unhygienic and disease risk Free and paid Wi-Fi NOT accessible at all - misleading advertising Very expensive sunglasses disappeared from back seat pouch. Coffee disgusting and cold

When boarding, after business class should be premium economy, but economy class already lined-up at the gate blocking premium economy to board. Singapore airline crew should done a better job to organize this chaos :( Thank you.

Transfer within the same terminal and lots of facilities at the airport.

Very slow check in. Food poor and some of the special meals offered were not available. Luggage then didnt arrive and still waiting for news 48 hours later

Check in was snails pace, only 1 of the luggage screen was working so long lines, an hour to check in Nobody seemed to want to fix the issue Flight was 45 minutes late Scoot is a mini sized plane ( sardine class plane), literally felt slammed between people

Would have been nice to have more variety and less dairy in the Indian Vegetarian special meal. Why do they include Parathas as part of the entree and also on the side (substitute for bread/roll)? Also, no need for so much dairy...don't need milk packet, yogurt and Chobani Greek yogurt in the same meal.

Flight attendants seemed a little more stressed out than in past Singapore flights. Not sure if that was because we had a completely full flight or if it was because it was just before Christmas. Food was decent but someone needs to update their Indian Vegetarian menus to ensure more variety, less duplication of items (Parathas included in2 different formats) and less dairy.

A very small gate at Singapore airport, lots of people packed into a small area…. A Petrie dish for infection. The flight was late although the captain did make up time. We had an aisle and middle economy class seat on the plane. The flight appeared to be very full. The seats were small, hard and very uncomfortable with minimal leg room. I’m a small woman and felt really cramped. My husband is a big man and stated he was unable to move at all in his seat. We were given 2 meals during the flight from Singapore to Brisbane. Our first meal was okay at best but the second meal was inedible. I think it was supposed to be veg in pastry but the pastry was full of air with minimal if any filling. The staff were pleasant and efficient. Getting off the plane went without any problems. It did take an extended period of time for our bags to come out onto the carousel. For the best ‘airline’ in the world, it was pretty poor. If Singapore is the best, what are the others like?

The customer service was very poor. I didn’t get any accommodations for my cancelled flight. I was without any sleep for 36 hours.

Not that good The crew in the plane were rim professional & almost lost in their work distribution

Flight from Dubai to Zagreb very bad cabin crew. Bad food

The experience was not as pleasant returning as leaving. Went through clearance twice, crew was not as customer focused.

Very bad !! My confirmed ticket got canceled with out notifying me in hyd airport , crew didn’t help us out !! They were very rude!! They made me pay for the confirmed ticket again !! Can you please let us know how I can get the refund for the ticket I paid

Overall good but one thing I didn’t understand is why they didn’t allow me to pick my own seat.

More space all around is practically essential on long international fights, and Emirates definitely delivers. But food selection and taste was only average. Otherwise, the flight was smooth and the cabin crew service was fine.

Emirates is usually on time, but not this trip. Also, during the flight the attendants disappear unless called upon. Very strange. I have watched the quality of Emirates service diminish over the last five years.

On both legs of my trips (Jhb - Dxb and Dxb - Jhb) the entertainment system did not work.

My parents travelled through emirates for the first time. They were happy with the service provided and the travel.

Very bad. Linda the hostess was very rude all the time

Very bad, Linda the hostess was very rude all the time

The flight SA227 on 2nd March Sao Paulo to Cape Town was delayed by 3 hours. All other flights leaving Sao Paulo left on time. We were told that we were waiting for push back and a routing from Air traffic control. I don't believe this, what was the real reason for the flight delay?

I think more immigration officers at Or Tambo- I spent 90 mins in a queue before I can assisted and most people missed their appointments and meetings

Not sure it was a basic airline so nothing much to like but what was annoying was they delayed so much we missed our connecting flight and we had to almost fight to be out on the next flight and also even get food

Everything the crew werr nice and helpful plus the food was good

First row in business class is terrible - no storage space with video screen folded down between seats. Entertainment system didn't show flight info...

At the last minute as I boarded the airplane they made me check my carry on bag. When I arrived my Apple Watch, sunglasses, and medications had been stolen. I find this absolutely unacceptable. I will never fly with SAA again.

Cons: "It’s a hop and a skip, just 2 1/2 hours. But. Nice flight"
Pros: "Courteous crew"
Cons: "Entertainment console only partially working. Toilet vacant/occupied indicator not working fully."

For a short flight, Qatar Airways offers very good onboard service.

Just happy I flew Qatar Airways awesome no wonder they are #1 in the world right now! The food was just delicious, very courteous, professional crew.

I found it weird that the quality of the flight different from Australia to Doha than the Doha to Berlin leg. The quality of the toiletries pack (was in a box from Australia) and then a proper bag from Doha. The biggest variation was the inflight entertainment, which had a significantly shorter amount of content compared to the Doha flight. My QSuite seat was also broken and did not recline all the way flat. Wasn’t the best and I wouldn’t be happy if I’d paid cash for the flight.

Online check-in doesn't work. That's why I couldn't give it full Star.

Bad experience with the delay n long wait time for connecting flight after missing the connection flight from Doha.

Too many boarding protocols. Never experienced with other international flights.

Boarding delayed, no communication. I left the lounge, and heard a final call, boarding started after a 30 minutes.

The flight from Doha to Mumbai with Indigo was worst in my whole life, I had booked tickets with Qatar, but still we had to fly by Indigo , worst flight

Terrible airlines - suffered entire flight due to food poisoning from stale food

Fine. Don’t think I would fly with them again

Following a marathon flight riddled by delays and changes from Santiago, Chile, my flight to Melbourne from Sydney was on schedule but I was transferred to the next flight. The reason by ticketing and the floor manager was I missed the entry to flight by one minute! That's right, the emphasised that if I was 1 minute earlier I would be on the flight. I asked what was the point them emphasising 1minute overdue and how that helped me or the situation. They didn't care at all. Replying that if it was one minute earlier they would've done something and smirking delivering the information. Australian's do call Australia home, Qantas calls Australian's suckers.

1) crackly headphone jack 2) one of the emergency seats recline. Usually second row does. But in this case neither did 3) food was scrambled eggs or fruit. 4) fruit should not be the option to eggs 5)miserable unpleasant crew not a smile. Thought that was a virgin thing

Qantas are unable to service and unfit for purpose, they cannot transport Australians on time to overseas destinations. On top of the inflated ticketing, the Sydney flight to Santiago was impacted because the plane was delayed arriving and then further bungling by Qantas admitting the ground new ground crew in charge of cleaning were not trained. The impact on passengers with connecting flights was tremendous and long ques of frustrated passengers waiting for rescheduling. **Qantas has become the Australian Spirit of disappointment**

The staff we fantastic and seemed to work very well with each other

Business lounge in Melbourne mediocre. Look at Emirates or Qatar, Qantas! Great friendly crew. Food was good but Emirates is a level above. Business seat good. But can’t compare to Qatar. Main reason for booking Qantas is loyalty and terrific connection via Perth to LHR.

I was pleasantly surprised with my flight to LA with Qantas. Although seats were not the roomies, service was excellent.

The service and smooth landing. Food was delicious and the staff was friendly. We arrived earlier than scheduled.

Wonderful crew, good food. Absolutely loved the wine spritz and wish I could buy it!

Don’t like last minute airline change. Not able to choose seat earlier.

It's only a short trip from Sydney to Melbourne, which i have done many times. The trip met my expectations

Book Cheap South Africa Plane Tickets

Recent return flight deals

9/10Wed
direct
10h 55mPER-JNB
6/11Wed
1 stop
29h 15mJNB-PER
$1,463
16/10Wed
1 stopSingapore Airlines
19h 00mPER-JNB
24/10Thu
1 stopSingapore Airlines
16h 45mJNB-PER
$1,563
9/10Wed
1 stopQatar Airways
23h 25mPER-JNB
6/11Wed
1 stopQatar Airways
29h 15mJNB-PER
$1,730
6/8Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
24h 15mPER-JNB
1/11Fri
1 stopQatar Airways
23h 05mJNB-PER
$1,758
15/10Tue
1 stopQantas Airways
23h 15mPER-JNB
28/10Mon
1 stopQantas Airways
21h 00mJNB-PER
$1,804
7/8Wed
directSouth African
10h 55mPER-JNB
24/9Tue
directSouth African
9h 25mJNB-PER
$1,853
29/5Wed
directQantas Airways
14h 40mSYD-JNB
3/6Mon
directQantas Airways
11h 50mJNB-SYD
$1,862
20/5Mon
directSouth African
10h 55mPER-JNB
2/6Sun
directSouth African
9h 25mJNB-PER
$1,919
12/9Thu
2 stopsEmirates
43h 00mSYD-JNB
23/9Mon
2 stopsEmirates
33h 00mJNB-SYD
$1,928
12/9Thu
1 stopEmirates
42h 15mSYD-JNB
23/9Mon
2 stopsEmirates
33h 00mJNB-SYD
$1,930

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Recent one-way flight deals

9/5Thu
2 stops
25h 05mPER-JNB
$818
20/5Mon
3 stops
44h 10mPER-JNB
$827
18/5Sat
1 stopQatar Airways
24h 15mPER-JNB
$1,070
18/5Sat
1 stopQatar Airways
24h 15mPER-JNB
$1,082
27/5Mon
1 stopSingapore Airlines
35h 00mPER-JNB
$1,145
22/5Wed
directQantas Airways
14h 40mSYD-JNB
$1,188
21/10Mon
2 stopsSingapore Airlines
47h 20mSYD-CPT
$1,259
11/6Tue
directQantas Airways
14h 40mSYD-JNB
$1,326
30/4Tue
1 stopEmirates
42h 35mSYD-DUR
$1,650
1/5Wed
1 stopEmirates
23h 55mPER-JNB
$1,675

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Last minute flights to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

28/4Sun
multi-stopEmirates
23h 55mPER-JNB
12/5Sun
multi-stopEmirates
22h 10mJNB-PER
$1,695
28/4Sun
multi-stopEmirates
28h 05mPER-JNB
12/5Sun
multi-stopEmirates
22h 10mJNB-PER
$1,710
28/4Sun
multi-stopEmirates
34h 05mPER-JNB
12/5Sun
multi-stopEmirates
29h 20mJNB-PER
$1,726
29/4Mon
multi-stopQatar Airways
23h 25mPER-JNB
10/5Fri
multi-stopQatar Airways
23h 00mJNB-PER
$1,899
29/4Mon
multi-stopQatar Airways
41h 50mPER-DUR
6/5Mon
multi-stopQatar Airways
30h 05mDUR-PER
$1,968
30/4Tue
directQantas Airways
14h 40mSYD-JNB
15/5Wed
directQantas Airways
11h 50mJNB-SYD
$2,869
29/4Mon
directSouth African
10h 55mPER-JNB
12/5Sun
directSouth African
9h 25mJNB-PER
$3,321
27/4Sat
multi-stopSingapore Airlines
29h 45mPER-JNB
11/5Sat
multi-stopSingapore Airlines
16h 45mJNB-PER
$3,410
30/4Tue
multi-stopQantas Airways
18h 10mAVV-JNB
7/5Tue
multi-stopQantas Airways
20h 55mJNB-AVV
$3,614
29/4Mon
directSouth African
10h 55mPER-JNB
14/5Tue
directSouth African
9h 25mJNB-PER
$4,010

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