Zanzibar Airport has 2 passenger terminals 200 metres apart.

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Although you will find on many discussion forums that one terminal is for domestic flights only and the other terminal is for international flights only, in reality both terminals can handle both domestic and international flights and the split is mainly by airline.

Which terminal?

• Terminal 1 - not used since the 1970s.
• Terminal 2 - divided into Terminal 2A and Terminal 2B, these are small and very old buildings with a large outdoor area where there are cafes or ATMs.
  • Terminal 2A
    • All flights (domestic and international) by Flightlink, Precision Air
    • Air Tanzania domestic flights
    • Safairlink international flights
• • Terminal 2B
    • All flights (domestic and international) by As Salaam Air, Auric Air, Coastal Aviation, Regional Air Services, Tropical Air, Unity Air Zanzibar, ZanAir

• Terminal 3 - most international flights, modern spacious building built in 2022.
  • Air France, Air Tanzania, Condor, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Flydubai, FlySafair, Fly540, Jambojet, Kenya Airways,KLM, Malawi Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Rwandair, Turkish Airlines, Uganda Airlines
  • There are currently no domestic flights from here

Moving between terminals

The buildings are separated, but it takes less than 5 minutes to move between them on a marked accessible walkway.

You can only move between the terminals via the outside public area.

Transfer between flights

Although Zanzibar Airport is not a major transfer hub, transfers from international to domestic flights towards the Tanzanian mainland are common.

International -> Domestic

In this case you always have to go through immigration, collect your luggage and check in again.

If you arrive at Terminal 3, you will always proceed from Terminal 2, which you must walk about 250 meters along a marked walkway to reach.

Even if you are only transferring in Zanzibar towards the mainland, you will need to pay for Zanzibar travel insurance at 44 usd. Details are described in the article Visas and Obligations for Zanzibar.

• Average transfer time - 45 to 90 minutes depending on the queue at immigration control
• Baggage on transfer - you must collect and re-check in
• Immigration check - yes
• Security check - yes

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Domestic -> International

Also in this case you always need to pick up your luggage, pay your Zanzibar insurance for 44 usd (see details) and move between terminals if necessary.

You must also collect your luggage if you are travelling with Precision Air, which uses the same terminal 2 for domestic and international flights.

• Average transfer time - 45 to 90 minutes depending on the queue at immigration
• Baggage on transfer - must be collected and re-checked
• Immigration check - yes
• Security check - yes

Domestic <-> Domestic

Terminal 2 has a special corridor for transfer passengers travelling, for example, from Pemba Island to the mainland.

If you have both flights purchased under one booking, you do not need to collect your luggage and do not go through security.

• Average transfer time - 15 to 20 minutes
• Baggage on transfer - will be transferred automatically
• Immigration check - no
• Security check - no

International <-> International

This transfer is very rare at Zanzibar Airport. International transfers usually take place at the airport Dar es Salaam DAR.

Therefore, neither terminal 2 nor 3 is equipped with direct transit facilities.

You always have to leave the transit area, pay for your travel insurance for 44 usd as well as your Tanzania visa for 50 usd, collect your luggage and check in again.

Technical stopover

Zanzibar is a very common stopover for so-called technical stopovers, which are not formally connecting flights.

In practice, this means that you will continue on the same plane.

This practice is often operated by airlines such as Oman Air, Turkish Airlines, KLM and others, which fly for example the Maskat - Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar - Maskat or Istanbul - Kilimanjaro - Zanzibar - Istanbul etc.

Precision Air (e.g. Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar - Nairobi) or Air Tanzania (e.g. Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar - Dubai) also fly frequently.

In these cases, you always stay on the plane during the stopover and do not enter the airport concourse at all.

There is therefore no need to take out compulsory travel insurance for Zanzibar.

• Tip: On this website we describe our experiences of getting from airports to city centres around the world and recommend the top attractions to visit.