EXCLUSIVE: Use Avios to book Airlink flights across Africa

A new airline is now bookable using Avios points – Airlink.

Based in Johannesburg, Airlink is the second largest airline in Africa in terms of annual flights.

Many readers will remember that the now bankrupt South African airline Comair operated as a British Airways franchise (the aircraft were BA branded) and was an Avios partner. The addition of Airlink as an Avios partner fills the gap left by Comair.

Whilst there has been no publicity, Avios flights on Airlink can now be booked via Qatar Airways Privilege Club. You cannot book via ba.com.

You will need to open a Qatar Airways Privilege Club account, if you don’t already have one, and link it to your British Airways Executive Club account. This HfP article explains how do it.

Importantly, you do NOT need to transfer Avios into your Qatar Airways account. They will be automatically withdrawn from your linked BA account when you redeem.

One downside is that you can only spend Avios in your own personal British Airways Executive Club account. Qatar Airways Privilege Club cannot withdraw Avios from members of your household account, only from your own. This means that you must, personally, have enough Avios for a redemption.

Why has Airlink become a Qatar Airways partner?

Qatar Airways acquired 25% of Airlink, the maximum allowed under local law, in August 2024.

The plan is to allow Qatar Airways to expand its reach in Africa by facilitating easy connections from its African long haul destinations.

Where does Airlink fly?

Airlink has an impressive network:

• South Africa – Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Hoedspruit, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Mthatha, Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg, Polokwane, Richards Bay, Sishen, Skukuza, Upington

plus

• Angola – Luanda
• Botswana – Gabarone, Kasane, Maun
• DR Congo – Lubumbashi
• Kenya – Nairobi
• Lesotho – Maseru
• Madagascar – Antananarivo, Nosy Be
• Malawi – Blantyre, Lilongwe
• Mozambique – Beira, Maputo, Nampula, Pemba, Tete, Vilanculos
• Namibia – Walvis Bay, Windhoek
• St Helena – Jamestown
• Eswatini (Swaziland) – Manzini
• Tanzania – Dar es Salaam
• Zambia – Livingstone, Lusaka, Ndola
• Zimbabwe – Bulawayo, Harare, Victoria Falls

The airline operates an all-Embraer fleet so you will be on a similar aircraft to those used by BA Cityflyer from London City Airport. I am due to fly Airlink in April between Johannesburg and Cape Town and can hopefully learn a bit more about them.

Availability looks pretty good on the Qatar Airways site at present. Here’s an example to show the seats exist:

This clearly isn’t a great value example (24,000 Avios + £38 for an economy return between Johannesburg and Cape Town). However, most Airlink routes don’t have much in the way of competition and Avios seats are likely to offer decent value.

You can find out more about Airlink and its route network on its website here.

Remember that you need to book via Qatar Airways Privilege Club and not British Airways Executive Club.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.