Air Tanzania is rapidly transforming from a primarily regional player into one of the most interesting new connectors between East and West Africa. With fresh approvals for Nigeria, a newly launched direct link to Ghana and a broader network strategy that plugs into major safari, beach and business destinations, the Tanzanian flag carrier is making it significantly easier to move around the continent without detouring through Europe or the Middle East. For travelers eyeing Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, Zanzibar, Lagos or Accra on a single itinerary, the airline’s recent developments are beginning to redraw the map.

The most visible change for travelers is the opening of a new East–West corridor anchored on Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital. Nigeria has granted Air Tanzania a Foreign Carrier Operation Permit to launch the first scheduled nonstop passenger service between Dar es Salaam and Lagos, clearing the way for a direct link between two of Africa’s most dynamic economies. The flight cuts travel time compared with existing one-stop options through regional hubs and eliminates the need to route via Europe or the Gulf on some itineraries.

On the western end of the route, Accra is joining the network as a second major West African gateway. After securing authorization from Ghanaian regulators in late 2025, Air Tanzania has now launched direct Dar es Salaam–Accra flights, operating three times weekly. The service gives travelers in Ghana a new nonstop bridge into East Africa and allows Tanzanian and regional passengers to tap into Accra’s growing role as an aviation and business hub in West Africa.

Taken together, the Lagos and Accra additions create a spine that runs from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic, with Dar es Salaam at its center. Flights are scheduled on a three-times-weekly pattern for both West African cities, typically on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. That frequency is designed to support both leisure and business travel while giving the airline room to grow as demand develops.

For travelers, this means a simpler set of options when planning multi-country African trips. A visitor can now fly from Lagos or Accra directly to Tanzania, then connect onward to Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro or the northern safari circuit on a single ticket, with no need to double back through an intermediate hub in another region.

Why These Routes Matter for East–West African Travel

For years, one of the biggest frustrations for travelers within Africa has been the difficulty of moving laterally across the continent. East–West journeys often required an overnight connection in Europe or a long detour through the Middle East or a handful of dominant African hubs, adding time and cost to what should be a relatively straightforward trip. Air Tanzania’s new West African routes directly target that gap.

The Dar es Salaam–Lagos nonstop is particularly significant because it connects two substantial markets in their own right. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest economies, while Tanzania has emerged as a rising tourism and investment destination. Direct flights are expected to support growing business links in sectors such as energy, construction, agriculture and services, while also boosting demand for leisure travel in both directions.

The Accra link adds an additional layer. Ghana has been actively positioning itself as a pan-African gateway and, in late 2024, began rolling out visa-free entry for African nationals. That policy shift, combined with Air Tanzania’s direct service, makes it easier for East African travelers to include Ghana in their plans, whether they are chasing the country’s cultural festivals, coastal forts, or emerging conference and technology scene.

From a regional connectivity standpoint, these moves are aligned with larger African initiatives to open up the skies. The airline’s expansion dovetails with the African Union’s Single African Air Transport Market, an effort to liberalize air services and encourage more direct intra-African flying. Each new nonstop link between major African cities reduces the reliance on long-haul connectors and brings the goal of smoother, more integrated continental travel closer to reality.

Key Schedules, Aircraft and Onboard Experience

Air Tanzania is using its young, fuel-efficient fleet to operate the new routes. The airline has invested heavily in Airbus A220-300 jets and Boeing 787 Dreamliners, giving it a mix of aircraft suited to medium- and long-haul services across Africa and beyond. The A220 in particular is central to the carrier’s African expansion, offering the range and economics to serve West African destinations from Dar es Salaam while maintaining cabin comfort.

The Lagos service operates several times per week from Dar es Salaam, with flight times in the region of five and a half to six hours. The Accra service runs three times weekly, also on a medium-haul schedule that slots conveniently into onward connections in both directions. While exact timings vary by season, departures are typically arranged to allow same-day links to and from key Tanzanian points such as Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro, minimizing overnight stays.

On board, Air Tanzania offers a two-class configuration on most international services, with a dedicated business cabin and an economy class designed around the A220’s relatively generous seat width and large windows. The airline promotes its new-generation aircraft as a selling point, highlighting quieter cabins, modern inflight entertainment on selected aircraft and improved operational reliability compared to older regional jets.

For travelers planning complex itineraries, a practical advantage is the ability to check bags through to final destinations on a single ticket within Air Tanzania’s own network. As the airline deepens partnerships and sales representation in additional markets, passengers originating outside Africa are also expected to find it easier to book through itineraries that use Air Tanzania for the intra-African leg.

Connecting Safaris, Islands and Business Hubs

One of Air Tanzania’s biggest draws is the set of destinations it anchors at the East African end of the journey. From Dar es Salaam, the airline links West African travelers to Tanzania’s marquee attractions: the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro and the tropical archipelago of Zanzibar. For Nigerian and Ghanaian travelers, what was once a multi-stop, multi-day trip can now be condensed into a single travel day with a change of planes in Tanzania.

Zanzibar, in particular, has been experiencing rapid growth in international visitor numbers, and the new flights are expected to funnel more traffic from West Africa to its beaches and historic Stone Town. Similarly, Kilimanjaro is likely to benefit as more climbers from across the continent gain direct access to the region via Dar es Salaam, rather than routing through Nairobi or Addis Ababa.

The network expansion is also a boon for Tanzanian travelers and investors heading west. Lagos and Accra are both major financial, cultural and energy centers, and direct air links make it easier for Tanzanian businesses to explore opportunities in sectors such as fintech, creative industries and infrastructure. Students, diaspora communities and families with ties across multiple African countries also stand to benefit from shorter, more straightforward journeys.

Beyond pure point-to-point demand, the airline is positioning Dar es Salaam as a transfer point for wider connections. Passengers from Lagos or Accra can link onward from Tanzania to Southern African cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as to select destinations in the Middle East and Asia served by Air Tanzania or its partners. In effect, the new routes are part of a broader web that expands options for travelers thinking about multi-stop African adventures or combining Africa with onward travel to other regions.

What Travelers Need to Know About Visas and Formalities

While Air Tanzania’s new flights make the geography of travel simpler, it is important for passengers to pay close attention to entry requirements. Tanzania offers an electronic visa system and, for many nationalities, a relatively straightforward visa-on-arrival process. However, not all travelers enjoy the same rules. Nigerian passport holders, for example, currently require what is known as a Referral Visa for Tanzania and are asked to secure it in advance, rather than expecting to receive a visa on arrival.

Ghana, by contrast, has moved to ease restrictions for African visitors. The government has introduced a visa-free regime for many African nationals, which is expected to encourage more intra-African tourism and business travel. This means that, for a growing number of travelers arriving from East Africa on Air Tanzania, entry formalities in Accra will be significantly simplified compared with historical norms.

Because policies can shift with relatively short notice, travelers from both East and West Africa should always confirm the latest visa and health requirements with official government or airline channels before departure. Yellow fever vaccination rules, for instance, may apply to some passengers depending on their recent travel history and origin. Given the pace of change in Africa’s aviation landscape, double-checking requirements before flying is not just prudent but essential.

For those booking complex, multi-country trips, it is wise to map out the sequence of entries and exits carefully. A traveler planning to start in Lagos, continue to Tanzania for a safari and beach break, then move on to Accra for meetings will need to ensure that visas, vaccination certificates and passport validity all line up with the itinerary. Travel agents and airline sales offices in key markets such as Nigeria and Ghana are increasingly familiar with these patterns and can offer guidance.

Beyond West Africa: A Wider African and Global Strategy

The moves into Lagos and Accra are part of a broader push by Air Tanzania to raise its profile across the continent and beyond. In Southern Africa, the airline has resumed direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg and launched services linking Dar es Salaam with Victoria Falls and Cape Town. In Central Africa, it has opened a route to Kinshasa, adding another important capital to its map.

Alongside its African expansion, Air Tanzania has outlined plans to add more long-haul destinations, including the Middle East and Europe. The presence of Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet gives the airline the capability to operate longer sectors, connecting East Africa not only to neighboring regions but also to key global markets. For travelers from West Africa, this raises the possibility of using Dar es Salaam as a springboard for journeys that extend well beyond the continent.

To support this growth, the airline has been expanding its commercial footprint, working with global sales and representation partners in additional countries. This behind-the-scenes infrastructure is crucial for making the new routes visible in booking systems, ensuring that travel agencies and online platforms can easily sell Air Tanzania services originating in markets like Nigeria and Ghana.

From a passenger perspective, the practical outcome is more choice on the screen when searching for flights and more opportunities to combine Air Tanzania segments with other carriers on a single itinerary. Over time, as interline and possible codeshare agreements deepen, this could make it easier to fly from Lagos or Accra through Dar es Salaam to destinations as varied as Mumbai, Dubai, Johannesburg or Guangzhou, all under one booking reference.

For travelers considering taking advantage of Air Tanzania’s new East–West connections, the starting point is to think in terms of clusters rather than single destinations. The Lagos or Accra gateway can be paired with a classic Tanzanian safari, a beach escape in Zanzibar or Pemba, or an active adventure focusing on climbing Kilimanjaro. Because the airline’s schedules typically allow for same-day connections in Dar es Salaam on select days of the week, it is often possible to move from West Africa to a Tanzanian national park or resort area within 24 hours.

One practical strategy is to build in at least one overnight stay in Dar es Salaam at the start or end of the trip. This not only provides a buffer against any schedule changes or delays but also allows time to experience the city’s own attractions, from its waterfront and markets to its emerging dining scene. For business travelers, this layover can double as an opportunity for meetings in Tanzania’s commercial capital before or after time spent in Lagos or Accra.

Another consideration is seasonality. West Africa’s weather patterns, East Africa’s safari cycles and Zanzibar’s peak beach months do not always align perfectly, so careful timing can help maximize the chances of good conditions across all legs of the journey. Travelers heading to see the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti, for instance, might choose different dates than those primarily interested in Zanzibar’s beaches or Ghana’s December festival season.

Finally, budgets and fare structures remain an important part of the equation. While regional competition is growing, nonstop links are often priced at a premium in their early stages. That said, by eliminating the need for separate tickets through multiple hubs, Air Tanzania’s new services can deliver overall savings in time and in some cases in money. Comparing through fares that bundle Lagos or Accra with Tanzanian domestic flights, and watching for promotional periods as the airline beds in its new routes, can yield particularly attractive deals.

The Bigger Picture: What This Means for African Travel

Air Tanzania’s latest route launches underscore a broader trend in African aviation. As more countries and carriers push to open direct intra-African links, the traditional model of relying on a handful of long-haul connectors is starting to shift. The creation of a Dar es Salaam–Lagos–Accra axis is one tangible example of how national airlines are rethinking their networks to serve the continent’s own travelers more directly.

For tourists, this evolution promises more varied, multi-country itineraries that are realistic within a typical vacation period. Combine that with easing visa requirements in parts of the continent, and Africa becomes a more flexible destination for visitors from both within and outside the region. It also balances the flow of visitors, spreading tourism benefits more evenly between coastal resorts, wildlife areas and urban cultural centers.

For business travelers and investors, improved East–West air links are an enabler of deeper economic integration. Shorter travel times make it more feasible to manage projects, attend meetings and maintain partnerships across several countries. As cross-border initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area gather pace, the ability to move key people and goods quickly between markets like Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana will be a crucial underlying factor.

In that sense, booking a seat on one of Air Tanzania’s new flights is about more than simply getting from point A to point B. It is a small part of a much larger shift in how Africans travel, trade and explore their own continent. For travelers curious to experience this new era of connectivity firsthand, the emerging East–West corridor linking Dar es Salaam with Lagos and Accra offers an increasingly compelling place to start.