Turkish Airlines is pulling out of 5 African routes as more carriers abandon Angola’s $3.8 billion new airport

The Istanbul-based carrier has removed Luanda (Angola), Juba (South Sudan), Kinshasa (DRC), Libreville (Gabon) and Lusaka (Zambia) from its future schedule after previously suspending the services.

The routes had been due to remain suspended until October 24, but the airline has now taken them out of its forward plans entirely.

Turkish Airlines initially described the suspensions as temporary when they were announced in April, citing rising fuel costs. The permanent cuts now add Luanda to a wider list of African destinations being dropped as airlines reassess their networks.

For Angola, the Luanda decision is particularly significant because the country has invested heavily in a new aviation gateway designed to transform its position as a regional transport hub.

The Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport was inaugurated in 2023 and was designed to handle up to 15 million passengers annually.

Yet passenger traffic has remained far below that capacity, with the airport handling fewer than 800,000 passengers in 2025, according to Euronews.

The massive airport was originally estimated to cost $5 billion, the government later revised the project cost down to $3.85 billion.

The airport is also facing the challenge of building a viable international network after the transfer of airline operations from Luanda’s old airport.

Turkish Airlines is not the only international carrier to have reconsidered its Luanda operations. The route cuts come as airlines continue to assess demand, operating costs and the commercial viability of serving Angola’s capital.

The airport was intended to become a major hub for Angola and Central Africa, with modern terminals and two runways capable of handling large aircraft. But attracting enough airlines and passengers to support its large capacity has proved difficult.

Turkish Airlines’ decision therefore highlights a broader challenge for Angola: building expensive aviation infrastructure is only one part of creating a successful international hub. The country must also generate enough passenger demand and airline traffic to make those facilities commercially sustainable.