Which airline offers the best value for money to Madagascar?

hi everyone, what's the cheapest flight ticket to fly from Paris to Madagascar in July or August? thanks for your help

hi, you’ve got a choice between Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Turkish Airlines. Just go to their websites and compare prices based on your travel dates. With Turkish Airlines, you can fly direct from regional cities without going through Roissy— from Bordeaux, Toulouse, or Lyon.

Hi,

Turkish Airlines is positioned as quite upscale, but for Madagascar, I don’t see many credible alternatives. Since you're in the East, you could consider options from Brussels or Frankfurt, for example. Ethiopian Airlines is also a solid choice, but it’s less present in Europe and less flexible.

Michel

hi and very often endless waits in Addis Ababa it’s the price to pay for a more attractive fare

Turkish Airlines doesn’t fly to Madagascar every day—there’s often a connection in Nairobi and a codeshare with another airline, probably Kenyan Airways. Since flights to Madagascar aren’t that frequent, it’s best to leave a little buffer time so you don’t miss it. That said, I think the flight leaves at 2 AM, so any European flight should get you there easily. When you don’t have lounge access, Istanbul Airport is a pain, by the way—one of the most expensive in the world.

Michel

from Bordeaux there are two flights per week Bordeaux to Istanbul then Istanbul to Antananarivo with a technical stop in Mauritius (only passengers disembark, no one boards between Mauritius and Tana) so the big advantage is arriving in the afternoon at Ivato and with a max of 50 to 80 passengers on the plane (most get off in Mauritius) so customs and baggage are super quick) last year, from stepping off the plane to leaving the airport took less than half an hour (exceptional for Tana) but it depends if you have a flight to Istanbul near home but I’m finding it harder and harder with CDG these days

You’re talking about a stopover in Mauritius. What I’d suggest avoiding is the connection through Nairobi. If you're in eastern France, it’s worth looking into departing from a neighboring country: sometimes there are more flights, better schedules, smoother formalities, fewer taxes, and a better experience with police and customs on the way back, etc.

Michel

two flights per week Istanbul–Antananarivo via Mauritius, maybe more in July and August and for Istanbul, direct flights from Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, and Lyon to avoid CDG no layovers in Nairobi or anywhere else

two flights per week Istanbul-Antananarivo via Mauritius, maybe more in July-August and for Istanbul, direct flights from Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, and Lyon to avoid Roissy no layover in Nairobi or elsewhere

When replying to you, I took a quick look at the Turkish Airlines app to simulate such a purchase in mid-July, and flights with a layover in Nairobi came up, departing IST around 7 PM; the others left around 2 AM. But I didn’t dig deeper into it.

Michel

two flights per week Istanbul-Antananarivo via Mauritius, maybe more in July-August and for Istanbul, direct flights from Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, and Lyon to avoid Roissy no layover in Nairobi or elsewhere

🙂Hi! I did a simulation with Turkish Airlines from Toulouse, super low price (around 1050 € round trip, departing Toulouse Oct 6/Dec 16). It's true that arriving in Tana at 3 PM is ideal if you're staying in Tana, otherwise most domestic flights have already left and you’d have to spend a night in a hotel if you want to go further by internal flight. The layover in Mauritius is about 1 hour without leaving the plane, but the deal-breaker for me was the 9h40 layover in Istanbul on both the outbound and return flights. Just to clarify, my friends who’ve already flown in 2024 and are departing from Mulhouse/Basel only have a 3-hour layover in Istanbul, and they found Turkish Airlines really good—after traveling with Air Madagascar until 2019 like me, and then with Air France since 2022 (around 22 trips so far!).🙂

Hi there, Ethiopian might have that little edge of flying directly to Nosy Be at a fairly moderate cost, considering Madagascar. This avoids a transfer from Tana to Nosy Be. But of course, it's only worth it if you're heading to the north.

hi personally, I’ve tried (over 40 trips from 5 weeks to 3 months) since 1991: Air France, Air Mada, Corsair, Air Austral, Ethiopian Airlines, but I have to say my experience with Turkish Airlines is by far the best value for money!! I’m heading back this year with Turkish, of course!!

...Air France, Corsair, Air Austral, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines...

Hi there! 🙂 The best choice, of course, depends on your departure city and destination—Tana or Nosy Be! During the summer holidays, there’s even an Alitalia equivalent that flies from Milan to Nosy Be! 🙂 I’m heading to Antalaha, and in my simulation from Toulouse, Turkish Airlines had this route: Departure at 11:40 AM from Toulouse to Istanbul (9h40 layover), then Mauritius to Tana, arriving at 2:40 PM. Since the Tsaradia flight had already left, I’d have to spend the night in a hotel, then take Tsaradia from Tana to Sambava (Antalaha), arriving at 3:30 PM. Total travel time: 52 hours, and the same on the way back. With Air France, the route was: Departure from Toulouse at 6:30 AM, Roissy to Tana at 10:30 PM, then Tana to Sambava (Antalaha) at 7:00 AM, arriving at 9:00 AM. Total: 25 hours 30 minutes, with no hotel night. Granted, it’s 400 € more expensive than Turkish! Back when flights left directly from Antalaha airport, I once made it from Antalaha to Toulouse in 17 hours, but on average, it was 23 hours! 😉 However, my buddies, who join me for fishing in Antalaha and live in Colmar, avoid the TGV to Roissy by flying from Mulhouse/Bâle. They only have a 3-hour layover in Istanbul and are especially sensitive to the price difference—450 € compared to AF! 🙂

Hi! I just bought 2 flights from Paris to Tana via Nairobi for a total of 1,461 € for both, from October 7th to November 26th for my friends. And 2 flights from October 7th to December 30th for 1,600 €, still with Kenya Airways, for us. So, no contest really.

Awesome, I bought at the end of March two tickets via Istanbul with seat selection and 2x23 kg checked baggage plus 2x10 kg cabin baggage for 2000 €

Good evening,

On Turkish, it's 8 kg for carry-on luggage, not 10, but I doubt they'll give you much trouble about it.

Michel

yeah, it's true—I already tried it in 2024, and even the checked baggage weight allowance here in Bordeaux is really cool. Plus, in terms of comfort and service, it's absolutely top-notch!! Air France could definitely take a page from their book!!!!!

super i bought two tickets at the end of March via Istanbul with seat selection and 2x23 kg checked baggage plus 2x10 kg carry-on for 2000 euros

For info, the flights via Kenya Airways I mentioned also include 2x23kg checked baggage, seat selection, meal choice, and 2x12kg carry-on. For 1461 € for 2 tickets.

leaving from Bordeaux with Kenya Airways it's 2800 € with an arrival on day 2 on the outbound flight so really not great at all yeah, not everyone leaves from Paris!!!!!

We're leaving from the far west... but the price difference justifies the 200 € to get to Paris, even with a 70 € hotel night since we're leaving in the morning. Everyone has their own budget. Have a great day.

At my age, I no longer travel by train with 120 kg of luggage (I go full-on), and on top of that, I'm not even sure you can still take that much baggage on the TGV! So for me, trains are out of the question—plane plus endless travel time on the way there, and I arrive on D+2!!! All that for what, a little savings?????

Long-forgotten TGV, renting a car (to leave at CDG) with full luggage, same for various donations. Anyway, there’s never any room for suitcases on our TGVs—they’re not made for travelers. Problem solved. It’s a choice... regarding age! 4 participants aged 81/73/72/69, all good and no stress. Can’t wait to get there.

Content for you!!! For me, it's a flight leaving 15 minutes from home and arriving in Tana, 10 minutes from Ivato to Ambodatrimo. Car or train? Not for us!!! Have a great trip, you four—we’ll be in Madagascar at the same time!

Anyone know....

veloma and vita kabary soa vadia

My Malagasy is too basic, so veloma and misotra for your exchange