Air Travel

Port Elizabeth (PLZ) airport, small and easy to navigate, is the primary air entry point for the Eastern Cape and has a number of daily services with South African Airways, and the affiliated SA Airlink and SA Express, as well as British Airways (operated by Comair). Mango and Kulula, two local no-frills budget airlines, also offer good service but usually have only one or two flights a day. You can fly here from Cape Town (1 hour), Johannesburg (1½ hours), and most other major cities; there are no direct international flights.

The small and easy-to-navigate East London (ELS) airport is the best entry for the Amatole region and is served daily by South African Airways, SA Express, SA Airlink, and British Airways.

SA Airlink also flies between the tiny airport at Mthatha (UTT)—for travel to the Wild Coast—and Johannesburg. There are three flights a day, which take about an hour and 40 minutes.

Contacts

East London Airport. 043/706–0306; www.acsa.co.za.

Mthatha Airport. 047/536–0023.

Port Elizabeth Airport. 041/507–7319; www.acsa.co.za.