Boggan weli laguma heli karo luqaddaada. Waxaa la muujinayaa Ingiriisi.
The UK is home to one of the largest Somali communities in Europe, and London has more one-stop options to Mogadishu than almost any other city.
Most connections leave from Heathrow (LHR); some airlines also fly from Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
The main ways to fly
There are no non-stop flights from London to Mogadishu. Almost everyone connects once at one of these hubs:
- Via Istanbul (IST) — Turkish Airlines flies from Heathrow and other UK airports to Istanbul. Final leg to Mogadishu with Turkish Airlines, about 6½ hours. Turkish Airlines sells one ticket all the way to Mogadishu, so your bag is checked through.
- Via Doha (DOH) — Qatar Airways flies from Heathrow and other UK airports to Doha. Final leg to Mogadishu with Qatar Airways, about 4½ hours. Qatar Airways' Hamad International is an easy, single-terminal connection.
- Via Dubai (DXB) — Emirates flies from Heathrow, Gatwick and other UK airports to Dubai. Final leg to Mogadishu with flydubai, about 4¼ hours. flydubai departs from Dubai Terminal 2 — if you arrive with Emirates on a through ticket, transfer is handled for you; on separate tickets allow plenty of time to change terminals.
- Via Addis Ababa (ADD) — Ethiopian Airlines flies from Heathrow to Addis Ababa. Final leg to Mogadishu with Ethiopian Airlines, about 2¼ hours. Often the cheapest one-stop option, with a short final leg.
- Via Nairobi (NBO) — Kenya Airways flies from Heathrow to Nairobi. Final leg to Mogadishu with Kenya Airways, Daallo, Jubba and African Express, about 2 hours. Several carriers fly Nairobi–Mogadishu; on separate tickets you may need to collect bags and re-check, which can require a Kenyan eTA — check before you book.
Schedules and routes change every season, so confirm the current timetable with the airline before booking. You can see which airlines are flying into Mogadishu today on our live arrivals board and routes pages.
Booking tips
- Book one ticket to MGQ when you can. A single booking protects you if the first flight is late and your bags are checked all the way through.
- Book early for Eid and summer. Fares rise sharply before Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the July–August school holidays, when many families travel home.
- Check the baggage allowance on every leg. The smallest allowance on your trip is the one that counts if a leg is on a separate ticket.
- Total journey time is usually 13–20 hours including the connection.
Documents
- Travelling on a foreign passport? Apply for your Somalia eTAS on etas.gov.so before you fly and carry a printed copy.
- Travelling on a Somali passport? It must be valid; no eTAS is needed.
- Check whether your connecting country needs a transit visa if you have to leave the airport.
On arrival
Read our arrival guide for immigration, baggage and pickup, and use the time-difference clock to tell family when you will land.
Su'aalaha inta badan la is weydiiyo
Is there a direct flight from London to Mogadishu?
No. Flights from London connect once, most often in Istanbul, Doha, Dubai, Addis Ababa or Nairobi.
How long does it take to fly from London to Mogadishu?
Usually 13 to 20 hours door to door at the airports, depending on the hub and connection time.