Private company
South African airline
Federal Air is a South African airline headquartered at O. R. Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg. It specializes in flights to luxury safari lodges and operates air shuttle, scheduled, and charter services throughout Southern Africa. The airline's main base is in Johannesburg, with hubs at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and Vilanculos Airport.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
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Federal Air is a South African airline headquartered at O. R. Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg. It specializes in flights to luxury safari lodges and operates air shuttle, scheduled, and charter services throughout Southern Africa.2
The airline was established in 1989 as Comair Charters (Natal). It was rebranded as Federal Air (Fedair) in 1993. The company later acquired and absorbed Pelican Air Services to expand its scheduled air shuttle services. In 2012, Federal Air merged with Bateleur Air Charter.
From Wikipedia’s article on Federal Air, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
Federal Air provides services to the following destinations:
Johannesburg - OR Tambo International Airport (hub)
Hoedspruit - Eastgate Airport
Mbombela - Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (hub)
Phinda Private Game Reserve
Pietermaritzburg - Oribi Airport
Sabi Sand Game Reserve - Ulusaba Airstrip
Madikwe Game Reserve
Marakele National Park
Durban - Virginia Airport
Federal Air operates between 22 and 25 flights daily from its hubs in Johannesburg and Mbombela. Its lodge transfer operations carry up to 50,000 passengers annually.
The airline is licensed and regulated by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). In early 2025, Federal Air temporarily paused flights to some private game lodges pending their compliance with new regulations requiring all commercial aerodromes to be licensed. The airline later resumed services on 71% of its safari shuttle network as airfields received regulatory approval.
In May 2025, the airline signed a memorandum of understanding with Mayday-SA, a non-profit organization, to promote mental health and well-being for its aviation personnel.
In October 2023, Federal Air invested R350 million in six new Cessna Grand Caravan C208B EX aircraft, financed through a seven-year revolving credit facility with Investec.
As of April 2025, the Federal Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:
From Wikipedia’s article on Federal Air, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
