Maputo (Lourenco Marques) International Airport

The largest of Mozambique’s airports, Lourenco Marques, is located just two miles north of Maputo. The complex is a hub for national flagship carrier LAN Mozambique, and TAP Portugal operates the only intercontinental service to Lisbon. Presently, the airport is undergoing a Chinese-financed expansion, with a new international terminal opened in 2010, improving its capacity from 60,000 to 900,000 passengers a year. The new domestic terminal is still operational during this time, serving flights to various destinations in Mozambique.

Outside of the one flight to Lisbon, all remaining routes run to other destinations in Africa with LAM Mozambique Airlines offering flights to Johannesburg, Nairobi, Tambo, Dar es Salaam, Harare and Luanda as well as a domestic hop to Beira. Other carrier flights include Kenya Airways to Nairobi, Qatar Airways to Johannesburg and Doha, Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa, South African Airways to Johannesburg and South African Express to Cape Town. Several domestic flights are also offered, including Kaya Airlines to Beira and Vilanculos, while the national carrier flies to Inhambane, Pemba, Tete and Nampula.

Passenger amenities include a bank, currency exchange, restaurant, bar, and post office. A duty-free outlet is found in the international terminal and various other stores are located in both terminals. Ground transportation is by taxi, car rental and hotel shuttle buses, with local buses (16, 24 and 25) running hourly to the downtown between 4:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Travel by air from Maputo is the most convenient way to get around for vacationers on a tight schedule, with a number of smaller airports scattered around the country close to various popular destinations. Beira Airport hosts flights on Kaya Airlines and LAM Mozambique Airlines and also links to Tete and Pemba, while Inhambane is served by both airlines from Maputo and Vilanculos. LAM Mozambique Airlines flies from Maputo and Tele to Quelimane, and Pemba hosts flights from Beira, Maputo and Nampula. The new Chinese-built Vilankulos Airport opened in 2011 and hosts routes to Johannesburg with Federal Air and LAM, and Maputo and Tete with Kaya Airlines and LAM. With the exception of Vilankulos, passenger services in most of the country’s domestic airports are basic, as is onward transportation.