Airline profile · Africa

Airlink

South AfricaRegional carrierSince 1992

4ZIATA code

LNKICAO code

Airlink is a privately owned South African regional airline based at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. It flies an all-Embraer fleet of 68 aircraft (2025) to domestic and regional destinations across Southern Africa. Airlink is not in an alliance but has interline agreements with many international airlines.

Direct connection available on ReservationHub

Founded: 1992
Headquarters: Johannesburg, South Africa
Country: South Africa
Main hubs: O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), Johannesburg
Airline type: Regional carrier
Alliance: None
Ownership: Privately owned, according to CAPA and the airline's own statements; individual shareholdings were not verified from a primary source.
Founders: Rodger Foster, Barrie Webb
Callsign: LINK
Website: flyairlink.com

How travel agents book Airlink

GDS distribution

No verified public statement of Airlink's current GDS agreements was found for this profile. Since its SAA franchise ended in 2020, Airlink has issued tickets on its own 4Z code.

NDC

Airlink was the first customer for Accelya's FLX Select NDC service, which distributes its NDC offers to travel sellers and aggregators, according to Accelya (February 2025).

Direct channels

Airlink sells its flights on flyairlink.com, where they moved after the SAA franchise ended in 2020.

Notes for travel agents

Airlink's interline agreements with airlines such as Qatar Airways, Emirates, British Airways, KLM, Air France, United and Ethiopian Airlines allow through-ticketing from their long-haul flights onto Airlink's regional network.

On ReservationHub

Airlink is one of the direct airline connections listed on our integrations page, alongside GDS (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport) and NDC content. Agencies get it in the SaaS platform; developers through the Travel API.

History of Airlink

Airlink traces its roots to Link Airways, which was formed in 1980 from several small South African operators. When Link Airways was liquidated in 1992, Rodger Foster and Barrie Webb bought the business and started the new airline.

For much of its history the airline worked closely with South African Airways. It flew as SA Airlink under a cooperation with SAA and SA Express from the mid-1990s and later under a franchise agreement, selling its flights through SAA.

That arrangement ended in early 2020 after 23 years. Airlink began operating and ticketing under its own 4Z code, signed interline agreements with airlines including Qatar Airways, Emirates, British Airways, KLM, Air France and United, and moved sales to its own website. In October 2020 it changed its company name from SA Airlink to Airlink to underline its independence.

Airlink has flown the Embraer ERJ135 since 2001 and now operates an all-Embraer fleet. It became the first customer for Accelya's FLX Select NDC service, and in 2025 it became Embraer's first African customer for collaborative spare parts inventory planning.

Milestones

1992Rodger Foster and Barrie Webb acquire the liquidated Link Airways business and start Airlink.
2001Embraer ERJ135 joins the fleet.
2020SAA franchise ends after 23 years; Airlink starts ticketing on its own 4Z code and renames itself from SA Airlink.
2021Signs an interline agreement with Ethiopian Airlines in October.
2025First Accelya FLX Select NDC customer reported in February; Embraer inventory agreement covers 68 aircraft.

Fleet

Embraer ERJ135 Embraer E-Jet

Aircraft types in service as of 2025

Airlink operates only Embraer aircraft. When it signed a spare parts inventory agreement with Embraer in February 2025, the fleet stood at 68 aircraft, covering ERJ regional jets and larger E-Jets. Its ERJ135s, flown since 2001, are supported under a Rolls-Royce TotalCare engine agreement extended in 2021 for ten years.

Network and hubs

Airlink is based at O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and links smaller towns in South Africa with larger hub airports. CAPA describes a network of domestic routes plus international services to countries including Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Zambia.

In 2021 Airlink said it served more than 45 destinations in 12 African countries, and Accelya reported in 2025 that it carries more than four million passengers a year. Its interline partners, such as Ethiopian Airlines, connect its regional network with long-haul flights.

Airlink: frequently asked questions

What are Airlink's IATA and ICAO codes?

Airlink, the South African regional airline, uses the IATA code 4Z and the ICAO designator LNK, with the radio callsign LINK. IATA lists the company as Airlink (Pty) Ltd, registered in South Africa. It is a different company from other airlines named Airlink in Austria, Ireland and the Bahamas.

Is Airlink part of South African Airways?

No. Airlink flew for many years under a franchise with South African Airways, but that agreement ended in early 2020 after 23 years. Airlink now sells and tickets its flights under its own 4Z code, and it changed its name from SA Airlink to Airlink in October 2020.

What aircraft does Airlink fly?

Airlink operates an all-Embraer fleet of ERJ regional jets, including the ERJ135 it has flown since 2001, and larger Embraer E-Jets. Embraer put the fleet at 68 aircraft in February 2025, when the two companies signed a spare parts inventory planning agreement.

Does Airlink use NDC?

Yes. Accelya reported in February 2025 that Airlink was the first customer for its FLX Select service, which lets an airline distribute NDC offers to travel sellers and aggregators without building its own NDC platform. Check with your NDC aggregator whether Airlink content is enabled.

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Sources

Profile updated 4 November 2026 by the ReservationHub team. Airline details change: confirm schedules, fares and policies with the airline before booking. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.