South African Airways · SA · Star Alliance · Accra ⇄ Johannesburg · Accra ⇄ Abidjan
Six hours across the continent, from the Gulf of Guinea to the Highveld. South African Airways is the only airline flying nonstop between Accra and Johannesburg, and from Johannesburg it opens the rest of southern Africa: Cape Town, the Kruger, Victoria Falls, Lusaka, Kinshasa. Some flights also hop on from Accra to Abidjan. Here is what flies, when, and what Ghanaians need to know before boarding, from the yellow fever card to the taxi rank at O.R. Tambo.
SAA was founded in 1934, when the South African government took over Union Airways, and for decades it was the largest airline on the continent. Its recent history has been rough: years of losses, a business rescue process from 2019, and a complete halt to flying before it restarted in 2021 as a much smaller airline. Accra was among the first international routes it brought back, a sign of how much the Ghana link matters to it. Today SAA is rebuilding, with West Africa at the heart of its plans.
Key facts
Johannesburg is two hours ahead of Ghana all year; South Africa has no summer time. Abidjan is on GMT, the same as Accra. There are two flight patterns: a direct Johannesburg–Accra–Johannesburg rotation, and one that continues from Accra to Abidjan and back.
| Flight | Departs Johannesburg | Arrives Accra | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA56 | 10:55 | about 15:00 | Continues from Accra to Abidjan, landing around 17:00. |
| SA52 | 14:55 | about 19:00 | The evening arrival on the direct rotation. |
| Flight | Route | Times (local) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA57 | Abidjan → Accra → Johannesburg | Abidjan 18:00 → Accra 19:05; Accra 20:15 → Johannesburg 04:10 next day | Overnight, landing before dawn in time for morning connections. |
| SA53 | Accra → Johannesburg | evening → early morning next day | Overnight, on the days of the direct rotation. |
Read this before booking
These times come from flight logs and schedules for September and October 2026. Which days carry the direct rotation and which continue to Abidjan changes with each season. Check whether the Accra–Abidjan leg can be booked on its own before you plan around it. The overnight flight to Johannesburg leaves Accra on time only about two times in three, late by around half an hour on average. Always confirm your date on flysaa.com.
What may change: Cape Town, Washington and a daily service
SAA has announced plans to fly from Cape Town via Accra to the United States by the end of 2026, and to make Johannesburg–Accra daily. SAA itself has warned that regulatory approvals and aircraft supply could delay this. Until the flights are on sale, treat them as plans, not routes. SAA flew Johannesburg–Accra–Washington before, from 2015, so the idea is not new.
Local time in both cities, the weather at this moment, and a converter between cedis, South African rand and the main currencies.
Say it in South Africa: eleven official languages, and a few words of each
Ghana and South Africa share a history that goes beyond flights. When Ghana became independent in 1957, Kwame Nkrumah declared that its freedom meant nothing unless it was linked to the total liberation of Africa, and Ghana became one of the loudest voices against apartheid. South Africa's own freedom came only in 1994, with the election of Nelson Mandela. Today Johannesburg is the economic heart of the continent, a hard, fast, exciting city, while Cape Town and the Kruger draw visitors from all over the world. The contrast between wealth and poverty is sharper here than almost anywhere, and the history of apartheid is never far away.
South Africa in brief
The overnight flight from Accra lands in Johannesburg before dawn, in time for SAA's morning flights across South Africa and the region. These are the most useful onward routes, with their capitals. If you clear immigration in Johannesburg, the yellow fever rule above applies.
Going on to Zambia? Tours from Lusaka and Livingstone: Victoria Falls, the Zambezi, safaris in the national parks. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome.
SAA lands in Accra in the afternoon or early evening. South Africans visiting Ghana come for business, for the music and the food, and increasingly for the history: the castles of the coast, Nkrumah's memorial, and the story of the first sub-Saharan country to win its independence. Start in Accra, then go west to Cape Coast and Elmina.
Accra International Airport December in Ghana
Airport pickup with free internet, private vehicle hire and a three-destination tour, booked before you land. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome.
Before you fly, tune in to the country you are going to. Live radio from all over the continent, in one place.
Every airline flying from Accra, each with its own timetable, routes and destination guide.
Lusaka and Kinshasa are on SAA's network via Johannesburg. These city pages show the quickest way to each from Accra.
Airlines overview Accra arrivals today Airports of Ghana Flight news
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Ghana-Net.com · Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park · Cape Coast Castle Museum · Elmina Castle · Kakum National Park · GhanaTrails.com · GhanaHotels.biz · MyGhana2027.com · ZambiaVibes.com · DR Congo · BurundiVibes.com · Uganda · KenyaWebNews.com · NigerianRadio.com · AfricanIndependence.com
Updated and fact-checked: 28 October 2026. Timetables from flight logs and schedules for September and October 2026; entry and health rules checked in October 2026. Always confirm times with the airline and entry rules with the South African High Commission before booking. Text and research by Remo Kurka for GhanaFlights.info. This website carries no Google advertising.