7 Facts about JHB-DUR Flights

1. The only flight route SAA operate to Durban is on the OR Tambo to King Shaka route.

2. These are the shortest flights on the golden triange (CPT-DUR-JHB), taking some 70 minutes (just enough time between seatbelts off and on, for the cabin crew to supply a snack).

3. By road, it is 602km along the N2 from OR Tambo International Airport to King Shaka International Airport.

4. As the Hadada Ibis flies, it is 478km from JNB to DUR.

5. You save some 3 hours by flying instead of driving from Johannesburg to Durban.

6. Three airlines have been copying each other - British Airways Comair, Kulula & Mango Airlines fly B737-800s on the route (copycats).

7. SAA & Mango take 70 minutes to fly from OR Tambo to King Shaka, whereas BA Comair & Kulula place their feet harder on the accelerator and have scheduled time of 65 minutes.

Travel Price Comparisons

Latest Johannesburg to Durban airline price comparison

flight date	1time	BA	Mango	Kulula	FlySafair	SAA
FlySafair offered the cheapest flight to Durban for the Ironman challenge on the 1st of June 2018.
6 Apr 2018	-	1050	1025	715	700	1650

Latest Johannesburg to Durban bus & train comparison

travel date	Baz Bus	Citiliner	City to City	Greyhound	Intercape	SA Roadlink	Translux	Shosholoza Meyl
The cheapest land travel option from Johannesburg to Durban for the Durban Day was offered by Shosholoza Meyl.
21 Oct 2016	2480	230	200	330	290	-	250	170

Prices are constantly updated, so the information listed above is out of date and for information purposes only.

Airlines

Airline	Airports	Stops
British Airways	Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to Durban King Shaka Airport (DUR)	non-stop
Kulula Airlines	Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to Durban King Shaka Airport (DUR)	non-stop
Kulula Airlines	Johannesburg Lanseria International Airport (HLA) to Durban King Shaka Airport (DUR)	non-stop
Mango Airlines	Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to Durban King Shaka Airport (DUR)	non-stop
South African Airways	Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to Durban King Shaka Airport (DUR)	non-stop
South African Express	Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to Durban King Shaka Airport (DUR)	non-stop

A flight from Johannesburg to Durban takes about 1h10m. The driving distance from Johannesburg to Durban is some 566km, and as the crow flies it is 478km. See our Lanseria to Durban flights page for a focus on that route.

Business class

Only SAA (South African Airways) and BA (British Airways) offer business class flights from Johannesburg to Durban - SAA calls it Premier Class and BA calls it Club Class. In our view BA offers a better ride than SAA. Mango offers Mango Flex & Mango Plus which are a step up from their standard offering, but not at the standard of SAA & BA business class seats. For upmarket train trips from Joburg to Durban, try the Premier Classe.

British Airways	Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to Durban King Shaka Airport (DUR)	non-stop
South African Airways	Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) to Durban King Shaka Airport (DUR)	non-stop

 

Overland

An alternative is to drive from Johannesburg to Durban. You would take the N3 national Road, which stretches all the way from Johannesburg to Durban. There are a number of toll gates on the N3 to Durban, so be sure to keep enough change with you. During holiday seasons the N3 is heavily travelled. On the way from Johannesburg to Durban you will pass the towns of Heidelberg, Villiers, Warden, Harrismith, Estcourt, Mooi River, Howick, Pietermaritzburg (the capital city of the Kwazulu-Natal province of South Africa) and Pinetown.

View Larger Map

A more interesting road trip:

View Larger Map

If you don't want to drive yourself, you can catch a bus trip from Johannesburg to Durban:

Baz bus	Baz Bus operates a hop-on hop-off bus tour across South Africa, and is especially popular amongst backpackers, stopping off at 180 youth hostels along its route
Greyhound bus	The Greyhound bus operates a traditional bus service through the main centres of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (Bloemfontein, Bulawayo, Butterworth, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Empangeni, Harare, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Nelspruit, Newcastle, Maputo, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Queenstown, Swinburne and Umtata)
Intercape bus	The Intercape bus operates a traditional bus service across a vast network of South Africa and some of its neighbouring countries.

 

In Durban

Accommodation in Durban

See our list of Durban hotels & accommodation.

Car hire in Durban

Want to hire a car in Durban? Here are some options at Durban International Airport:

Europcar Durban

Avis car rental

Budget car rental

First Car Rental

Hertz car rental

Tempest car hire

Thrifty Car Rental

Updates & History

• 18 September 2015: FlySafair is starting Durban flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Durban from the 25th of October 2015.

• 26 Aug 2013 : SA Express flights to Durban from Johannesburg are increased with a new Friday and a new Sunday flight, each scheduled to leave OR Tambo at 12h20.

• 

  2 Jun 2012 : 1time airline suspends its flights from Lanseria Airport, to focus on its African routes.

• 1 Aug 2011 : Velvet Sky increases its JNB-DUR flight frequency to 3 daily flights.

• 22 Mar 2011 : Velvet Sky commences flights from Johannesburg to Durban. Its inaugural flight is at 17h55.

• 28 Oct 2008 : Kulula increases the frequency of flights from Johannesburg Lanseria Airport to Durban to 2 daily (except Saturdays).

• 29 Oct 2007 : Kulula have been operating flights from Johannesburg's Lanseria Airport to Durban since the 29th October 2007.

• 2 Nov 2012 : 1time quits flying from JNB to DUR, after filing for liquidation.

• 5 Mar 2012 : 1time begins HLA-DUR flights.