Cheap flights from London to Durban

Start looking well ahead: with only connecting itineraries on offer, the cheaper fare classes sell out first and a late booking can leave you on a pricier routing. The fare calendar on this page runs the full year, and November usually shows the lowest fares, while the weeks around Christmas and New Year draw heavy demand from both directions. Durban's beach season falls over the British winter, which keeps the route busy then, so the shoulder months either side are worth a look. Midweek departures tend to price below Friday and weekend ones.

Nothing on this route is low-cost: every airline sells full-service tickets, and none links the two cities nonstop. Etihad Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Uganda Airlines, KLM and Aegean Airlines all appear, with KLM Cityhopper flying KLM's regional legs. A checked bag and a meal generally come as standard, so the real differences sit in the connection: the Gulf carriers route through the Middle East, the African trio through East Africa, and KLM, Aegean and Turkish through Amsterdam, Athens and Istanbul. Weigh the layover length and the date-change rules before you settle.

A good share of itineraries reach Durban in the evening, once the long leg and the connection are both done, and that changes the first hour: transport thins out and a pre-booked transfer beats negotiating at a late-night rank. Durban International sits outside the city itself, so plan on a taxi, shuttle or rental car for the ride into town rather than a stroll. If you land after dark, confirm late check-in before you fly, and keep your passport and entry paperwork to hand for the border desk instead of buried in the overhead locker.

Currency

ZAR (R)

Power sockets

Type C, D, G, N · 230 V

Language

South African Sign Language, Southern Ndebele, Sesotho, Tsonga, Tswana, Swazi, Northern Sotho, Venda, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, English

Emergency number

112

Calling code

+27

Internet domain

.za

Population of Durban

595 k (2011)

Time zone

UTC+02 (Africa/Johannesburg)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check the entry rules South Africa applies to your passport, including how much remaining validity the border expects.
• Flights leave from Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Luton and Stansted, so confirm which airport your booking uses before you plan the trip out there.
• If you book two separate tickets, the airline on the second leg has no obligation to rebook you after a missed connection.
• Baggage inclusions vary between these full-service carriers, so check what each leg of your itinerary covers, particularly any regional hop.
• November usually prices lowest on this route, while December and the southern summer holidays push fares the other way.