No nonstop flights have connected South Africa and India since South African Airways dropped its Johannesburg-Mumbai service in 2015. That could change: President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed South Africa wants direct air links with India restored, announcing it at the India-South Africa Business Leadership Roundtable during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

The groundwork was already underway. In September 2025, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) said it was working to link the country's three major international airports with India, and it has presented a business case — backed by passenger-demand and traffic-flow research — to several airlines, with advanced talks ongoing with selected carriers. The bilateral agreement between the two countries already allows up to 28 weekly flights in each direction, so the legal framework is ready; what's missing is an airline willing to fly it.

Johannesburg is the front-runner. ACSA says 58% of air traffic between the two countries starts or ends in Gauteng's capital, making a Johannesburg-Mumbai service the logical first route. Mumbai connections to Cape Town and Durban are on the longer-term wish list, along with a Delhi-Johannesburg service driven by trade as well as tourism demand. Cape Town officials have lobbied for an India route before, seeing it as a way to add another direct Asian connection to the city.

The demand case is real. More than 126,000 passengers travel between South Africa and India each year, and India was South Africa's seventh-largest overseas source market in the first half of 2025, with over 42,600 arrivals between January and July. South African Tourism counts India among its 15 priority growth markets. There's a business dimension too: more than 150 Indian companies have invested over US$10 billion in South Africa, and Ramaphosa flagged renewables, critical minerals, pharma and digital technology as cooperation areas that would all benefit from better air links.

The catch for travellers: there's no launch date, no airline announcement and no confirmed route. For now, anyone flying between the two countries still connects through a Middle Eastern or African hub, adding hours and another airport to the trip. But after a decade without a nonstop option, the Johannesburg-Mumbai route is firmly back on the agenda — and if it lands, it would make both directions significantly easier, whether you're planning a Rajasthan holiday, visiting family, or doing business across the Indian Ocean.

Story via Getaway South Africa.