While not attracting the same volumes of traffic as flights between North America and Europe, the African market is an important one for US aviation. This December, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have hundreds of flights scheduled between their US hubs and destinations on the continent, with an interesting variety of routes served and aircraft used, but where exactly do they fly? Let’s find out!
Delta’s sole Africa-bound Boeing-operated route
According to data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Delta
just edges United
in terms of the number of flights offered between Africa and the US this December. Overall, the Atlanta-headquartered SkyTeam founding member has scheduled a total of 318 US-Africa flights for the month (includes both directions), offering 78,954 seats and 482,797,575 available seat miles.
Of these 318 flights, the vast majority are scheduled to be operated by widebody aircraft manufactured by multinational European planemaker Airbus. This is reflective of Delta’s current fleet strategy, especially when it comes to widebodies, and is discussed at greater length in our video embedded above. In fact, only one of Delta’s US-Africa routes will be served by a Boeing widebody this December.
Related
Analysis: Why American Airlines Doesn’t Fly To Africa
The carrier’s first-ever African route was canceled before it began.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
The corridor in question connects Delta’s hub at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with Blaise Diagne International (DSS) in Dakar, Senegal. Using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, the airline will operate 22 flights in each direction between JFK and Dakar this December, offering collective totals of 4,752 seats and 18,200,160 ASMs each way. According to aeroLOPA, these 216-seat jets have:
- 26 Delta One business class flatbeds in a 1-2-1 layout.
- 18 Premium Select premium economy recliners in a 2-2-2 layout.
- 172 economy class seats in a 2-3-2 layout (of which 21 have extra legroom).
African Airbus adventures
Meanwhile, Delta’s remaining African flights this December will be operated by widebodies from its Airbus fleet, with three different aircraft types represented. The next-generation A330-900 from the modern A330neo family has just one African route under its belt, with these three-class 281-seat aircraft scheduled to fly daily between New York JFK and Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra, Ghana.
Photo: KITTIKUN YOKSAP | Shutterstock
The older A330-200 will also see action on Delta’s African routes this December, with two corridors earmarked for the type. Both of these routes will serve Murtala Muhammed International (LOS) in Lagos, Nigeria, on a daily basis, with the flights originating at JFK and Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International (ATL). As JFK-LOS only restarts on December 1st, the first LOS-JFK flight isn’t until the 2nd.
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
Meanwhile, Delta’s Airbus A350-900s are penciled in to serve two African routes out of its Atlanta hub this December, with both of these corridors serving destinations in South Africa. O R Tambo International (JNB) in Johannesburg will enjoy a daily Delta connection with the world’s busiest airport, while the route from Atlanta to Cape Town International (CPT) has 13 outbound and 14 inbound flights scheduled.
United Airlines also has a sole 767 route to Africa
United differs from Delta in the sense that its widebody fleet currently consists entirely of Boeing planes. This is set to change in the future with an order for 45 Airbus A350-900 jets, although their arrival is still several years away, with the order having been deferred multiple times. As such, all 261 of United’s African flights this December (offering 63,057 seats and 406,883,173 ASMs) are Boeing-operated.
Photo: Michael Derrer Fuchs | Shutterstock
That being said, an area of similarity that the Chicago-headquartered Star Alliance founding member shares with its SkyTeam rival is that it has a sole African route scheduled to be operated by the Boeing 767-300ER this December. Operating out of its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), the type will fly 13 rotations to Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK) in Morocco, a route it monopolized.
Photo: Michael Derrer Fuchs | Shutterstock
Indeed, while Moroccan flag carrier Royal Air Maroc operates several transatlantic routes to US hubs such as New York JFK, Washington Dulles (IAD), and Miami International (MIA), all of these originate in Casablanca (CMN) instead. As for United Airlines, the Boeing 767-300ERs it uses on the Newark-Marrakesh route have 46 Polaris business class seats, 22 in premium economy and 99 in economy.
Deploying the Dreamliner
United Airlines’ remaining African routes are operated by two different variants of the Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ family of twin-engine widebody aircraft. The short-fuselage 787-8 variant sees less service in this regard, with just two African routes under its belt. The corridors in question will link Lagos with Washington Dulles 29 times in each direction this December, and Accra and Washington on a daily basis.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
As for the mid-sized Boeing 787-9 model, this is responsible for three routes to and from South Africa. Johannesburg is the destination for one of these corridors, with United’s flights to the city originating at Newark Liberty International Airport. These services will operate on a daily basis this December, with the 31 flights in each direction offering 7,967 seats and 63,640,396 available seat miles each way.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Meanwhile, United’s other two South African corridors that will see flights operated by the Boeing 787-9 this December serve Cape Town International Airport. These routes are served on a less frequent basis, with just 13 flights scheduled in each direction between Newark Liberty International Airport and Cape Town. Meanwhile, Washington Dulles-Cape Town has 13 outbound and 14 inbound flights lined up.