R6 745 Find Cheap Flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa

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Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to South Africa

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights to South Africa to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to South Africa?

These are the best return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to South Africa from the United Kingdom found in the last 72 hours was to Cape Town, at R13 449 return. The most popular route is London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was R14 548.

What is the cheapest month to fly from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa is May, when tickets cost R13 159 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is R20 901 and R20 884 respectively.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to South Africa?

The average price for all round-trip flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to South Africa is generally in the evening, when retur flights cost R16 806 on average. Morning departures are around 100% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to South Africa is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is R16 823.

How far in advance should I book a flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to South Africa, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below-average price on a flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 4% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 8 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in South Africa?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in South Africa is Cape Town Intl Airport (CPT), with an average flight price of R10 374.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flightR6 729
Best time to beat the crowds (8% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (30% more expensive on average)
Flight from London Gatwick Airport to Cape Town

FAQs for booking flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa

  • Which airlines operate non-stop flights to South Africa?

    British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and South African Airways operate direct flights from London Heathrow to Oliver Tambo International Airport and British Airways also operates direct flights to Cape Town International Airport.

  • What are the rules about car seats for children in South Africa?

    While it is not yet mandatory to have a suitable car seat for young children when driving in South Africa, it is advisable to take one with you if you are planning on doing a lot of driving. Alternatively, you can hire one along with your car hire and it is wise to do this in advance.

  • Where should I fly to in South Africa if I want to go to the Drakensberg?

    The Drakensberg, the highest range of mountains in southern Africa, is located in KwaZulu-Natal, so the best airport to fly into is King Shaka International in Durban. From here you can hire a car and drive to the southern part of the Drakensberg.

  • Do I need a visa for South Africa?

    British passport holders who are visiting South Africa for a period of less than 90 days do not need a visa to enter the country. However, your passport should have two blank pages in it and should also be valid for 6 months from your date of entry to South Africa.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly from the United Kingdom to South Africa with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from the United Kingdom to South Africa up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to South Africa?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to South Africa is Wednesday when return tickets can be as cheap as R16 899. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Friday, when return prices are R18 986 on average.

Top tips for finding a cheap flight out of the United Kingdom

  • There are a number of international airports in South Africa that provide onward connections to other destinations within the country. Oliver Tambo International Airport (ORT) in Johannesburg is the central hub and from here you can get flights to all other cities in South Africa. If you want to visit the south of the country, you can fly into Cape Town International Airport (CPT), while King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban will give you easy access to the coastline of KwaZulu-Natal.
  • If you are travelling to South Africa with children, you will need to ensure that you are carrying full unabridged birth certificates for each child under the age of 18, especially if only one parent is travelling with the child. While this rule may not apply if both parents are travelling, the South African authorities reserve the right to ask to see the birth certificate and will turn you away at the border if you cannot produce it.
  • Visitors looking at flights to South Africa to visit the world-famous Kruger National Park in the north-east of the country should consider flying into Oliver Tambo in Johannesburg and catching an onwards domestic flight to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMI) in Nelspruit. The flight takes approximately 45min. It is also possible to fly to Nelspruit from Cape Town and Durban. In Nelspruit you can hire a car or catch a brebooked transfer to travel to Kruger.
  • If you are planning on driving the Garden Route, you could book a flight to George Airport (GRJ), which is situated at one end of this drive from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town. George Airport only has a domestic terminal, so you would need to book a connecting flight from your point of entry into South Africa to George, where you can then collect a hire car for the rest of your journey along the coast.
  • There is a limit to the amount of South African currency that you can carry into the country in cash and it is advisable to check this limit before you fly as it changes frequently. You can also carry a limited amount of cash in foreign currency that you can change at a bureau du change in the airport or, alternatively, use your credit or debit card at an ATM in the airport.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying from the United Kingdom to South Africa

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from the United Kingdom to South Africa? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8,1
EmiratesOverall score based on 3569 reviews
7,9Food
8,2Entertainment
8,1Boarding
8,3Crew
8,0Comfort
Airline reviews

My baby was with me it was really good experience with emirates

10,0 ExcellentAnonymous, Mar 2026
DXB - MAN
Read more Emirates reviews

My baby was with me it was really good experience with emirates

Milan airport was bad experience. They should be more polite.

Both flights to and back from Lyon with buses taking extra time and delaying flight at DXB. Food serving needed work.

The journey was nice, all the crews were very good and services are excellent

Great flight - Clubhouse met our needs, and the staff provided good service. Boarding felt a little chaotic, but given the size of the aircraft, it's always going to be challenging. Whilst the crew were friendly, the number of passengers meant that we received our breakfast items, but had finished breakfast before we were served a drink. Lunch was much better organised, and throughout the flight, the crew were attentive. Found the seats and ICE to be excellent. Disembarkation was fine, and everything possible to expedite the process was being done.

It was delayed for 2 hrs. Flight attendants were not attentive.

Crew were excellent and the bar service and chat fantastic. Cheese board delicious. Amenity kit good, very disappointing not getting pyjamas on this leg of the flight and needed to reuse from earlier flight.

We loved flying with Emirates in business class, the staff were fabulous, going above & beyond

Emirates First Class is always a treat with Caviar and service is always personalised.

They should resume the fast track for business / first class passengers

Outstanding even though the 330 was one of the oldest in the fleet. The difference was the attentiveness and responsiveness of a really experienced flight attendant. For airline food great variety of interesting choices and good tastes supported by a good wine selection.

Brand new plane lots of room the snack was very flavourful and enjoyable

There were no charge points for phones on the economy seats. The seats were comfortable overall. Food was okay.. flight was on time

The flight was delayed. The aircraft was unclean. Promised seat was not given due to change in Aircraft. Not one crew on ground was in a position to give any response. Amsterdam Airport is AVIODABLE Over crowded. Over Expensive. Poor Services.

It was really nice experience by flying this klm flight.I personally recommend everyone to please try this klm flight

It was really nice journey i personally recommend klm flight

The crew were unprofessional with a racist element. I was physically abused as well from one of the crew members

Crew is not the cheerful type. very slow meal service (this is their style as have flown this many times)

Terrible last row seats many seats available but no offer to move to better seat

Delay on my previous leg, had to run to catch my flight. But that happens. Overall ok.

Seating and zone. The minor I went with didn’t even seat close to me

My seat 3G did not go down fully and the buttons were not working properly

Food has been disappointing in both legs of flight to india

Great staff great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Great staff, great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Food was the worst I’ve had on a VA flight. Normally it’s a lot better

I was my pleasure to fly virgin on my birthday for my first solo trip ever 🫶🏼

These are one of the older seat arrangements facing away from the windows! Not particularly convenient sets. No storage spaces. NO COAT HANGING HOOKS. Inconvenient business class seat compared to any other airlines of similar class. Staff are excellent! Extremely professional, friendly. Food is good too.

Overall, flight was excellent but check in was very slow for Premium Economy. Economy queue was shorter but we weren't allowed to use it.

The staff was not very polite but the flight was very very nice and comfortable and the entertainment was great

It was a good experience - too many times checking at the airport - every time had to remove shoes , belt , laptop etc. that was a bit of exaggerated. The seat had a sharp metal plate -- which torn into my jeans.

To the Ethiopian Airlines Customer Relations Team, I am writing to formally express my disappointment regarding my recent travel experience with Ethiopian Airlines on flight [I629/352] . Unfortunately, the level of service provided fell significantly short of the standards I expected from your airline. I would like to highlight the following serious issues encountered during the journey: • Cabin Condition and Hygiene: The aircraft cabin was notably poorly maintained. The seating area was dirty, and there was a persistent, unpleasant odor throughout the flight, which made the environment very uncomfortable for passengers. • Inadequate Service: The overall level of service provided by the staff was unsatisfactory and did not reflect a professional passenger experience. • Baggage Loss: Upon arrival, I was informed that my luggage was lost. This is particularly distressing as it has caused significant personal inconvenience and disruption to my schedule. As a frequent traveler, I value reliability and a clean cabin environment. I request that you investigate these matters immediately, provide an update on the status of my missing baggage, and outline how you intend to compensate for these failures in service. I look forward to your prompt response and a resolution to my lost luggage claim. Sincerely, Puguh

We had a good flight experience with this airline despite reading many negative comments

The plane was ok, I was in business class and was surprised there were no pods and each seat was right next to another one. That said it was comfortable and the food and coffee were good. Entertainment wise again I was surprised to see only movies and no TV shows. Check-in at Toronto Pearson was an absolute disaster, which was especially disappointing as I was a business class passenger. There was no dedicated staffing for the business counter and four (4) airlines employees assisted one economy class passenger for about 15 minutes when one could have easily assisted me. Overall room for improvement, particularly in the on-ground experience and airplane infrastructure.

Check in took over an hour because printer was not working. Attendant did not know how to give free layover Addis Ababa hotel vouchers or update frequent flyer number. After repeated attempts, got voucher emailed. However hotel wanted printed voucher hence more delay. Bus time from hotel back to airport was printed 4:50 hours, but hotel reception called at 3 pm saying bus will leave at 4 pm. Then hotel reception called again saying 4:15 pm. We rushed at 4:15 pm and bus was not ready until 4:40 pm. Many audio outlets were not working in planes.

I had a memorable experience. I dont have any comments at this time regarding waht could be better.

The crew was not helping us in the airports ..Very bad experience..the washrooms are not meeting the expectations..need more good service... The hotel service was good but there is a very long wait time which wasted time to go through..

Our first flight was delayed and when we got off that plane, nobody was really helping to direct us to the next gate. It was very frustrating. One staff simply said hurry, which wasn’t helpful. We had to go a long way to get to the next gate. Another issue on the plane itself was the bathrooms were disgusting and filthy and it didn’t seem like anybody was checking on them were cleaning them and it was a long flight. There was urine on the floor and they stunk. Also, the screen in front of my seat did not work, and I tried different headphones and still had no sound. You would think somehow those things are reviewed occasionally for working order.

They only gave us 30 minutes to make an international connecting flight. We didn’t make the connection but they did do a good job rebooking us despite the chaos. Our bags didn’t make it back and their process for customer support is pretty bad when it comes to luggage.

The Boeing 737 MAX on this route, flown in the middle of the night, is an UTTER FAILURE for business travellers. The whole point of business travel is to arrive alert and recover from travel quickly, and this little aeroplane with its quarter recline uncomfortable business seats does nothing for that. It’s a small step up from economy in that you have decent legroom, but that’s it. Absolute margin at the cost of the traveller.

The map feature on the display at the seat had challenges. The biggest issue was the flight had no WIFI. Most of the smaller planes now have free WIFI. American Airlines on the flight over had WIFI you could purchase. With 8-10 hours on a single flight, the ability to do work via WIFI is essential!!

A shout-out to the flight attendent, Lauren, who was the main person assisting me. She was amazing - perfect balance of bright, cheerful, engaging, yet formal

Cramped seating but standard in all smaller aircrafts today no matter what airlines. Crew very helpful, friendly & attentive so makes up for that.

Wonderful business class flight in a lovely new plane with an excellent crew

OK, except for a cabin attendant's lack of attention.

efficient. on time. cabin crew were very professional and very nice to deal with. would definately fly BA again.

It was great overall. A few slight improvements could be made on the onboarding process at the Gates with announcements and clarity of communications (both at the gate and in flight). The movies in the entertainment options could be improved for bollywood, hollywood.

I alrady responded to this request, and expllaned at length that this was the worst flying experience in my 77 years. I will NEVER fly BA again.

Airbus A350 is poorly designed for wheelchair users and reduced mobility passengers. The angle of the pods makes it awkward to transfer. I was able to but I have ab stability. It could be a real challenge for people with more severe mobility impairments. You'd think Airbus would have come up with a solution for this or thought more about us disabled folks more when designing this aircraft.

The crew has always been great on BA. They are very friendly and accommodating. I like that they have vegetarian options already in the menu. And the free wine is a nice perk.) I noticed (both directions of my trip) minor upgrades/ replacements needed on the plane itself (touch screen didn't work with touch; bathroom light didn't go on). However, this is one of my favorite airlines.

Everything you need to know for your flight to South Africa

Cabin class types available on flights to South Africa

Cabin classes available on flights to South Africa. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.