Three South African routes feature in the top 10 of Embraer’s 2026 Africa Connectivity Report highlighting the most commercially viable unserved markets.
The study identifies 55 intra-African city pairs currently without non-stop flights despite demand that could support direct operations.
After ranking fourth last year, Cape Town-Lagos now tops Africa’s list of unserved routes in 2026. Although Proflight Zambia serves the route via Livingstone, Cape Town-Lusaka remains the second highest unserved route because there is no non-stop service.
Durban-Mauritius has entered the top 10 from 13th to sixth place. While passengers currently connect via Johannesburg, the report indicates the route could support three weekly non-stop flights on 120-seat aircraft.
Despite ranking eighth last year, Cape Town-Dar es Salaam no longer features on the list following the launch of the route by Air Tanzania in December 2025.
“The findings show that the challenge is not demand but matching each market with the right aircraft and frequency. Many of these routes can be successfully served with right-sized aircraft enabling airlines to improve efficiency, increase connectivity and unlock new revenue opportunities,” says the report.
