Showing 1 South African Airways Flights from Nairobi - Starting at Just ₹85,741

  About Nairobi

The populous city of Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. Located in East Africa, the city actually replaced Mombasa, the former capital of Kenya, owing to the thriving economic and cultural development. Nairobi has been recognised as the financial and cultural hub of the country. Nairobi is also exclusively known to be home to more than 100 major international companies.

Best time to visit Nairobi

Nairobi's geographical positioning is elevated as it stands at an altitude of 5450 feet. Due to this, the city experiences a mild climate throughout the year. This is despite its proximity to the Equator. However, it still witnesses torrential rains, which would put quite a damper on your travel plans. Keeping a tab on the weather conditions ahead of planning a trip to East Africa is highly recommended. The rains could make or break the possibility of your trip, and hence, it is essential that you keep a check on the weather. Nairobi witnesses hot, wet and cold climates. Even though it is mild most of the year, little rain can be quite a change in the humidity level. The city witnessed two monsoons, a long one from mid-March through May and a mild one from late-October to December. During these two monsoon seasons, the months April and November are the wettest months as the rains are at a peak during these two months. The dry months in Nairobi are from July through October and January through February. The dry months actually help ease the heat and humidity in the air.

In terms of months, July and February are the best months to pick for a Nairobian rendezvous. The rain is extremely less to non-existent, and the climate is quite pleasant. You can undertake various outdoor activities too during these months and not worry about the scorching heat or humid weather. The temperatures during this time are also quite low and pleasant for Nairobi standards. July and August are recorded as the driest months in Nairobi, which works perfectly for you if you are planning for an excursion. You should make sure to carry the right clothes for your trip as the temperatures often confuse people. It can turn from hot to humid to cold in erratic schedules. Layering up would be ideal. The hotel prices don't really see a massive difference during the off and peak seasons. As there are many travellers who constantly travel to the city for professional reasons and conferences, the hotel prices in Nairobi remain constant. However, with the demand for accommodation, you might have a tough time booking a hotel in Nairobi. Hence, it would be best to make prior hotel bookings in Nairobi.

Places to visit in Nairobi

Nairobi's wildlife and green expanses are what draws tourists to the city of Kenya. The Nairobi National Park was established back in 1946 and has been fenced on three sides. The southern boundary has been kept open to enable migration of wildlife to move from the park to the Kitengela plains. The park is going through some concerns in the recent past due to the increasing exposure to humans and the rise in the livestock population. The city also has an adorable Giraffe Centre which is dedicated to protecting endangered giraffe from extinction. The natural sanctuary also works as an educational centre to teach visitors about the necessity of conserving wildlife. The city also has an Elephant and Rhino Nursery where African elephants and rhinos are bred. The place ensures to safeguard the lives of these two animals. The Ngong Hills is a famous place in Nairobi. The hills especially have a beautiful green landscape. You can trek up to the hill and watch the sunrise or the sunset at the summit as it is worth all the expedition. Close to the Nyong Hills was once a location for traditional colonial houses.

Things to do in Nairobi

At the foot of the towering Ngong Hills, you will find the beautiful and quaint Karen Blixen Museum. Although it is 10 km away from the city of Nairobi, the place has historical significance. It actually exhibits the life of the famous Danish author, Karen Blixen. While this is a lovely place to start learning more about the author and African history, you should also indulge in some outdoor activities. The Nairobi Safari Walk is basically crossing a specific bridge with nature on all four sides. While you walk on the bridge, you will actually get to witness some rhinos and other animals hanging around the estate too. You cannot miss the Maasai Market, which offers a plethora of colourful artefacts with traditional African designs. You can actually use this expedition to purchase some souvenirs for a friend and close family members from here.

Food and Restaurants in Nairobi

Kenya's capital is making quite a name for itself in the culinary world too. Nairobi's tea and coffee trade might be the most recognised worldwide. However, their fusion food is just as delicious as their coffee. You would be surprised and even slightly amazed by the beautiful melange of flavours and cuisines that the city's food establishments curate regularly. In fact, they continue to add more interesting dishes and meals on their menu as they experiment with spices and ingredients. There are dishes that range from slow-cooked Indian meat barbequed to a crisp to the classic Japanese sushi. Some of the food establishments in Nairobi will definitely amaze you and leave you wanting for more. You can start your food rendezvous in Nairobi from Hashmi BBQ, run by an Indian family. It is one of the most popular food joints In Nairobi and for all the right reasons. With their chooza chicken's sizzling sauce, poussin chips and a generous helping of garden salads, indulging here for some food would take you to nirvana and back. The spice is really spicy, so if you're not up for it, do not risk your gut.

Tamarind is another local restaurant which favours seafood and meat meals. Their highlights are deep-fried crab claws, garlic jumbo prawns and some South African sauvignon blanc. The place also serves vegetarian food, in case you are not too thrilled by their eccentric seafood spread. For the classic sushi, head to Misono. Not just their sushi but even their sashimi and teppanyaki will strike a chord with you. Plus, the place is run by a Japanese family so you wouldn't have to worry about authenticity. The food here is as authentic as it can get. Some other famous food establishments in Nairobi are Soi, Tatu, Maru's Bhajia Cage, AA Mithaiwalla, Talisman and Mambo Italia. Do not be surprised by the well-known Indian restaurants and food joints. They are quite popular in the city and one of the most sought-after ones too. However, if you do wish to explore something different, you should visit J's Fresh Bar. It is basically a British gastropub and has meals from the UK. You will find battered fish and chips, peppered squid and smoked scotch eggs. Plus, an in-house DJ would entertain you with whack music.

How to reach Nairobi (Transportation)

Flight connectivity to Nairobi from India is quite decent. Although it could be better than what the current state is of travelling to Nairobi from India, it's still quite good. There are many flights that fly to Nairobi. The most popular route to Nairobi is from Mumbai. In fact, you will find direct flights to Nairobi from Mumbai and at a very cheap ticket price. There are several African airlines that fly to the city from India. Airlines such as Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, RwandAir, Oman Air, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, EgyptAir, are the most prominent ones that have great connectivity from India to Nairobi. Another popular domestic route to Nairobi from India that has better connectivity aside from Mumbai is Ahmedabad. A majority of flights to Nairobi from India require layovers and connecting flights to reach Nairobi. Cities such as Addis Ababa, Kigali, Muscat, Dubai and Doha are some of the international routes taken to reach Nairobi. However, if you pick an African airline, especially Kenya Airways, you will be able to avoid all the layovers and changing of flights.

The flight duration to Nairobi from Mumbai is also quite decent as it would take approximately six hours and fifteen minutes to reach the Kenyan capital. Depending on which airlines you pick, the travel duration will also change as layovers will have to be taken into consideration. Nairobi to India is quite an expensive endeavour. However, from Mumbai, it is not so expensive. You can book cheap flight tickets to Nairobi from Mumbai. It wouldn't cost you much, and you wouldn't have to compromise on the flight duration as well. It costs between INR 22,000 to INR 25,000, to reach Nairobi from Mumbai. However, if you book from any other Indian city, the prices would see a tremendous surge. Another way how you can snag some cheap flight tickets to Nairobi would be by opting for online flight deals. It would be tough, and you will have to spend a lot of time on the internet to get a cheap flight deal to Nairobi. Since the accommodation prices remain close to constant in Nairobi, the best thing to do would be to club the flight and hotel bookings to Nairobi.

  About African Airways

South African Airways is the official national flag carrier of South Africa and is wholly owned by the government of the country. It has its headquarters in Airways Park within the premise of O.R Tambo International Airport. The airport is also a hub for South African Airways as well as a hub-and-spoke network that links about 40 domestic route cities and international route destinations spread across the continents of Africa, Europe, Asia, North and South America and Oceania. The airline's base is at O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. South African Airways joined the Star Alliance group in 2006, becoming the first African carrier to have signed a deal with one of the three major airline alliances. The airline was founded following acquisition of Union Airways (South Africa's first commercial airline) by the government of South Africa, in 1934. The airline was initially operated and managed by the South African Railways and Harbours Administration. In 1997, the airline changed its name from Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens to South African Airways. Further, as part of their rebranding, the airline also introduced a new aircraft livery and online ticketing services.

The airline bid farewell to its parent company, Transnet in 2006 to operate as an independent entity. It remains to be one of the largest state-owned services in South Africa. South African Airways also owns a subsidiary, Mango, which is a low-cost carrier that caters to the domestic market. The same has established links with South African Express and Airlink. In 2005, the airline became the first non-Saudi airline in the world to operate direct Hajj services to the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. The same year, the airline also started operations on the Johannesburg-Accra-Washington, D.C. route four times in a week. For this journey, they used the Boeing 747-400. By 2006, South African Airways enabled an increase in in-flight services to various international destinations. The airline eventually retired the last of its 747-400 fleet in 2007. As the airline became a member of Star Alliance, the codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines was terminated. To commemorate their association with Star Alliance, South African Airways painted two of its aircraft, an Airbus A340-600 and a Boeing 737-800 with the Star Alliance livery.

In 2007, South African Airways made an announcement by revealing its 18-month comprehensive plan to restructure its functions and operations. The restructuring programme aimed to enhance the company's profitability. The plan was supposed to help the airline save up about R2.7 billion (USD 378.2 million). Interestingly, the airline did manage to save about R2.5 billion by 2009. Two of the retired Boeing 747-400s were reactivated to cater to the Lagos route and eventually Luanda too. By 2012, South African Airways commenced services to Beijing in China. They further announced plans to offer non-stop direct services to Beijing as well as Mumbai, in 2015. Although the airline initially used Star Alliance to operate services to China, they were soon changed with Air China's partnership accommodating flights to Beijing. The airline reported in the same year that destinations such as Munich, Perth, Hong Kong and Frankfurt are the only profit-making long-haul routes for South African Airways.

In contrast, the other destinations didn't add to the revenue. In 2017, the airline cut back on its fleet size by 23 percent of flights and acquired a loan from Standard Chartered Bank too. Despite trying to accumulate finances, the airline hasn't been able to recover from the losses and announced cease operations after serving the state for about 86 years. Instead, a new airline would be introduced to replace South African Airways.

Fleet size of South African Airways

As of 2020, South African Airways had a fleet size of 23 which only operated Airbus aircraft. The airline's fleet configuration included three Airbus A319-100s, ten Airbus A320-200s, one Airbus A330-200, five Airbus A330-300s and four Airbus A350-900s As an airline that was prevalent in the aviation industry for a long time, South African Airways' fleet has seen a considerable number of varied aircraft. While it might presently have aircraft predominantly from the Airbus family, the airline did host a number of diverse aircraft. These included Airspeed AS.6 Envoy, Avro 685 York, de Havilland DH.60 Gypsy Moth, Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-7, Hawker Siddeley HS 748, Junkers Ju 52/3m, Junkers W.34, Lockheed L-18 Lodestar, Vickers VC.1 Viking and Vickers Viscount, to name a few. South African Airways also boasted a strong fleet of aircraft from the Boeing family at one point in time. They had Boeing 707-300s, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 747-200F, Boeing 747SP, Boeing 767-200ER, Boeing 737-200, to name a few. However, they eventually wiped out their mixed fleet with Boeing to only accommodate Airbus.

Baggage Allowance

South African Airways' baggage allowance is the standard protocol that is followed by major airlines in the world. The business class passengers are allowed to carry two pieces of baggage in the checked luggage, and the weight per piece should not exceed more than 32 kg. As for the economy class passengers, the weight per piece of baggage should not be more than 23 kg. The airline only allows one piece of baggage for the economy class passengers. The dimension of the checked baggage is very important to South African Airways as it is essential to fit all the bags perfectly in the cargo. The total dimension of the baggage should not be more than 158 cm. As for hand baggage, the business class passengers are allowed to take two pieces of baggage along with them. The dimensions of the hand baggage should not be more than 56cm (l) 36cm (w) 23cm (h). As for the accessory bag that the airline does accommodate, the passenger will need to ensure that they fit under the front seat. These bags could be a handbag or a laptop bag. The economy class passengers must also adhere to the same dimensions of baggage, but they are only allowed to carry one piece instead of two. Both the cabin class passengers need to check that their baggage weight is not more than 8 kg.

In-flight services

South African Airways boasts some of the finest in-flight services and experiences. As the airline does have a good fleet with decent aircraft, the seating has been enhanced to cater to the comfort of the passengers. They can enjoy the plush leather seats which are equipped with good legroom and armrest. The international route aircraft owned by South African Airways also have personalised in-flight entertainment systems that have been installed in each seat for passengers. Further, the airline also has a trained and friendly staff on board who offer great help in terms of accommodating in-flight services such as ordering meals, requesting for blankets, pillows and other amenities. The meals that can be availed on board are quite exquisite with the menu boasting global cuisine. Passengers certainly have quite a comfortable experience when travelling with South African Airways.

Popular routes and top cities of South African Airways

South African Airways had an illustrious list of cities and destinations that it operated in from domestic routes and international routes. They had regular flights to international destinations such as Perth, Sydney, Vienna, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Accra, Athens, Milan, Rome, Osaka, Nairobi, Luxembourg City, Port Louis, Amsterdam, Lagos, Abuja, Mahe, Colombo, Zurich, Abu Dhabi, London, New York City, Lusaka, Harare and Victoria Falls, to name a few. However, they have shut down a majority of all their operations owing to the airline ceasing existence altogether. During its heydays, the airline's top cities and international routes were from Johannesburg to London, Hong Kong, Perth, Frankfurt and New York City. The airline's domestic routes were also quite strong as it held a good position in the domestic aviation market. However, following mergers, the airline gave away much of its domestic functions and operations to partners such as Mango, South African Express and Airlink.

Why travel by South African Airways?

South African Airways has followed a strong legacy ever since its inception. Over the years, the airline has further acquired the latest trends and facilities to ensure that their loyal customers and passengers receive the best treatment and services when flying with South African Airways. Aside from acquiring new international routes and domestic route connectivity, the airline has revamped its fleet to bring in aircraft that have better efficiency and possibilities to enable good in-flight services.

Some of the perks of South African Airways include the fact that they have allowed web check-ins as part of their services. Web check-ins make it easier for travellers as it reduces a lot of procedures that must otherwise be conducted at the airport's check-in counter. Simultaneously, the airline has also updated its website with the latest South African Airways flight schedule. Passengers can put details of their ticket to know the flight status as well as baggage allowance deals. Further, booking a South African Airways flight ticket on the airline's official website and other travel portals is quite convenient.