Delta Air Lines’ Growing Africa Network: What To Expect Onboard

My first flight to the US from South Africa was just over 20 years ago. Back then, South African Airways had a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines and flew one of its Boeing 747-400s on the 17-hour flight from Johannesburg to Delta’s megahub in Atlanta, and then back home via Fort Lauderdale.
Photo: South African Airways
Then in 2006, everything changed when South African Airways joined the Star Alliance , and it broke off its agreement with Delta. But the SkyTeam airline now knew from its codeshare ticket sales that South Africa was a sought-after destination, and immediately started flying to Cape Town and Johannesburg from Atlanta and New York JFK.
Photo: Lukas Wunderlich | Shutterstock
It initially utilized its Boeing 767-300ERs, which would depart from the two US cities and converge on Dakar at the same time for a refueling stop. Passengers could change aircraft depending on their chosen destination city in South Africa, and the same arrangement worked on the return legs. Eventually, Delta shifted to using its Boeing 777-200LRs, which could cover the 8,000+ mile distances without refueling.
Photo: Thiago B Trevisan | Shutterstock
Nearly two decades of flying to Africa
Delta has been flying to Africa for nearly two decades. Shortly after inaugurating the routes to South Africa, it began flying to Accra in Ghana from JFK, and Lagos in Nigeria from both JFK and ATL. The routes to Johannesburg and Cape Town now operate exclusively from Atlanta with Delta’s A350-900 flagship, and the airline also added direct flights to Dakar in Senegal from JFK. So currently, Delta operates a total of six different routes to Africa.
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
New Africa routes later this year
This is about to change, as Delta announced last week that it will be adding two new routes to Africa later this year. These are:
Marrakech: Delta will begin operating a three-times-weekly service from Atlanta to Marrakech, the top tourist destination in Morroco, from October 25. This is a new route for Delta, and it will utilize its Boeing 767-400ERs on the transatlantic trip.
Delta will begin operating a three-times-weekly service from Atlanta to Marrakech, the top tourist destination in Morroco, from October 25. This is a new route for Delta, and it will utilize its Boeing 767-400ERs on the transatlantic trip. Accra: Delta already serves Accra daily from New York JFK, but will be adding daily service from Atlanta on December 1 utilizing an Airbus A330-900. This is currently billed as a seasonal service, but given the longevity of the JFK connection, has every potential to become a fixed service.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Speaking about the new routes, Paul Baldoni, senior vice president of network planning at Delta said the following
“Our new service to Marrakech and added flights to Accra strengthen our presence in Africa, offering more opportunities for customers to enjoy our award-winning service and premium onboard experience. Whether discovering the magic of Morocco or reconnecting with loved ones in Ghana, these routes enhance our network while reinforcing Atlanta’s role as the world’s largest global hub.”
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
So by the end of this year, Delta will be operating these eight routes from the US to Africa:
Route Distance (miles) Frequency Equipment Atlanta – Cape Town 8,127 3 x weekly A350-900 Atlanta – Johannesburg 8,433 Daily A350-900 Atlanta – Lagos 5,843 Daily A330-200 Atlanta – Accra (starts Dec) 5,679 Daily A330-900 Atlanta – Marrakech (starts Oct) 4,339 3 x weekly B767-400 New York – Accra 5,111 Daily A330-900 New York – Dakar 3,830 4 x weekly B767-300 New York – Lagos 5,250 3 x weekly A330-200
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Adjustments to the South Africa routes
Delta is also looking to make adjustments to its South African routes. It currently flies to Johannesburg daily and Cape Town three times a week, and while it would certainly like to add more flights to the Rainbow Nation, that is unlikely in the short term and it is restricted to sharing the available slots that have been negotiated between the two countries with United Airlines.
Photo: Brisbane Airport
Instead, it is petitioning the US Department of Transportation for flexibility on its route schedule to account for seasonality. The tourist destination of Cape Town is a more popular route during the Southern Hemisphere summer months, and Johannesburg is more popular the rest of the year. Delta would, therefore, like to shift two of its Johannesburg flights to Cape Town to account for this seasonal demand.
What to expect onboard a Delta flight to Africa
With Delta flying five different aircraft types to Africa, let’s take a closer look at what you can expect onboard, and how this will vary from route to route. Delta currently utilizes a four-class layout on most of its widebody international flights, which is made up of the following:
Delta One: The business class cabin has Thompson Vantage XL seats that are arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, and convert into a 76