I Was the ONLY Passenger at This African Airport... Here's Why ✈️ 🌍
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
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I took a flight across Africa onboard Malawi Airlines, and ended up with broken planes, strange hotels, and surreal experiences as the only passenger in Malawi's biggest airport!
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Cab driver at the end is a legend haha, love his energy
Douglas is a cool dude.
The Better Help commercial made me laugh. I was only stationed at RAF Mildenhall for two years. US Air Force BMTS at Lackland in San Antonio and technical school (Air transportation) at Sheppard AFB from September to October. October was miserable and rainy on the Texas Oklahoma border. I went back home to Virginia for a month before I hit the UK. That was pleasant. English weather in the Fens sucks ass. We drank smoked a lot and played in the rain. The locals I made friends with made my time there pretty good. Cheers, mate.
We call hom. Shehe
I'm Malawian, one reason our airports aren't that crowded is probably cause air tickets (local & international) are ridiculously expensive compared to the average earnings of the majority of Malawians. A flight is luxury mostly experienced by the wealthy elites.
The average degree holder earns a monthly salary of about $200. A plane ticket from Lilongwe (capital city) to Blantyre (commercial city) is probably shy of $100.
@@mike_oe sit down and be quiet, you ridiculous clown
Live
@@lonjezochinyamunyamu567 bro what does this mean
How does that compare to the bus /train
I wonder how the airline survives - do you happen to know if it is government owned?
I really appreciate that you don’t just shove cameras in service workers’ faces, its so nice to see you respect that they’re just doing their job
He doesn't blur the faces of his fellow passengers though which is rude. Sometimes he does but it's off and on
@@jj-if6it I don't find it rude at all. There is no expectation of privacy in public.
@@loveisall5520 Maybe not a general public group shot but filming someone next to you on a plane and not blurring the footage is rude. Unless you ask permission
He does ask the person next to him, he covered that in another video. He says he usually strikes up a conversation with them, explains what he is doing. If they don't want to appear on camera he angles the camera away from them towards the window.
@colinhamilton5989 they often stare at him like they have no idea what's going on. Also what about when they don't speak English?
I love how cordial Noel is with everyone. It makes such a difference for fans to know that they will be treated respectfully if they run into him.
As a half Brit half Malawian, I was close to tears with pride watching this. I’ve been a fan for years and was shocked in the best way when I saw this video. Apart from the gut wrenching homesickness of watching you speeding through Lilongwe I am so happy to you got to visit, and hope you get to return to maybe fly on some of the historical aircraft to remote locations such as Likoma (my home) and see the immense beauty that is holds!
Then maybe go back???
@@PeterGriswald lol
It looks beautiful.
@@PeterGriswaldinternational long haul flights aren't exactly affordable.
@@PeterGriswald Womp womp, cry me a river. Why the envy?
When Noel asks the rhetorical question "what could go wrong" we all know it means "what could go right"
@@MamaCarola1 you would think but now he would learn not to ask what could go wrong because usually something does lol I think there’s some sort of law of nature about that lol
@@comancheviperrrr Murphy's laws...
As a Pakistani who has been living in Blantyre for over 6 years, i have to say that malawian airlines is a decent airlines and that we are proud of having it.
Pround of wat? That old junk?
@@darlingtonchimutu8390smh.
😂@@darlingtonchimutu8390
😂😂😂@@darlingtonchimutu8390
@@darlingtonchimutu8390Yeah. Why not? What have you got to be proud of except your idiotic arrogance?
That fan interaction at the gate was awesome! Big up to Noel for being so humble 🎉
Ah,Lilongwe. That was a story I heard years ago from a Lunn Poly travel agent (remember Lunn Poly?). Customer wanted a ticket to Malawi. "Lilongwe?" asked the agent. Customer replied "No, shortest way possible." Another great video.
Depends how they pronounce Lilongwe it seems. I'd expect it doesn't end in "way" as it ends in "e" (a short, un-stressed leter e)
I heard somewhere when I lived in MW that it’s actually pronounced Lee-Lon-Gway
@@zacharynorton7337 thats the actual pronounciation, not the other way round
Omg lunn poly! Isn't that a blast from the past!
As a Malawian, I wasn’t expecting this. Thanks for visiting Malawi!
Also the taxi guy ripped you off
😂😂😂You also noticed that too huh?? $35 was just too much. And he paid 40
That's weird, cause as a Canadian it seemed totally reasonable to me. Less than a dollar per minute for that guys time and wear and tear on the car? Am I just naive?
@@kurohone Naïve, no. I think Noel is aware that he is being overcharged (and sometimes, choosing to additionally overpay). He's been doing this a long time.
As a South African I thought so too but the airport seems to be a long way out of town.
@@atherrien95 Noel definitely lives by his 'be kind to one another'. 😊
Starting my Sunday morning with Noel is something I look forward to every weekend.
Same here 💛⭐⭐🎇
I am the same way 😊
I absolutely 💯 love this channel I wished that he could or would do more flights in the united state
The glazing is real
❤❤❤
Except that it’s Monday morning for me
I just have to say Noel that for some reason watching your videos is so relaxing! I don't know if it's your nature or what, but if I ever v want to chill and relax I inevitably end up watching Noel Phillips travel adventures! Thank you!!
I'm so glad!
Love this - so fascinating to see these smaller African airlines. But most of all, it's great to see a genuinely good human being treating others with authentic kindness and respect.
It’s crazy that flights like these happen several times a day, EVERYDAY! And yet flying is still the safest mode of transportation worldwide!!
I enjoy it when you show random signs/storefronts in and around the airport.
My personal motto I came up with a long time ago is "Every day is a sunny day above the clouds". It's helped me get through many rough times.
I spent 3 weeks in Malawi last year, beautiful country and beautiful people. I flew in and out of Lilongwe on Ethiopian Air.
I love flights like these. There's such a purity to them. They don't do all of the fancy stuff. They're just people that need to get somewhere and the planes do it
Good to hear the “what a stinker” again at end of loo review. It’s been a while! That loo was grim !
Your fan, Michael, is correct. If you can't travel, this is the best way to see the world. As an extra bonus, you have an excellent tour guide with you every step of the way!
Love seeing the world with you. As a Cessna 150 owner I only fly here in the state of Arizona the last 50 years. Airlines anywhere else. Love your adventures.
How some things don't change! My Mum was born in Malawi friends and family still there. Hope you had a great time
What an adventure. Everyone is so friendly and pleasant...as is Noel. Looking forward to next installment.
That plane should definitely not be in the air 😮
That taxi man at the end taking you to the airport has to be one of the nicest & most courteous I've seen on your videos, what a gentleman!
Zambians are the nicest people. Enjoyed my trip to Zambia back in 2018
Ladies are nice, the guys are scammers.
Not all of them
@@Accuface2000😂😂
@@Accuface2000 whats your problem
Thanks
People always ask me why im so positive and energetic and i always say someone has to be so it might as well be me.
Hello from Myanmar (Burma). I love how you go off the beaten track for your videos to some of the most random locations and airlines. Also, I hope you make another trip back to Myanmar in the future. Hopefully with the country in a better shape.
Good content Noel, the more obscure the travels the better.
Great interaction w/Michael @ JNB. I imagine it's a bit comforting to see respect for your content as you travel. 👍
You’ll enjoy the time in Zambia I went this year in may and it was great just a shame about the power shedding situation, but the people are so nice and friendly
This brings back memories of when I visited Malawi in 2004. We flew from London into Amsterdam, then Amsterdam into Nairobi, then another flight from Nairobi into Lilongwe, with a brief stop in Lusaka. Thanks for the video
We could make a drinking game out each time he says thank you through the airports and hotels, but when I wake up next weekend I'd just start over again with next video release.
😂
@@noelphilips It pays to say thank you to people.
Mate I'm not up for being an alcoholic 😂
@noelphilips as you know it gets you far simply being polite. I travel every couple of months. Smile on the face thank yous and pleases everywhere.
Makes the trip fantastic as your treated the same way you treat them.
Love your content im thinking of doing what you do but I know I ain't as simple as you make it look.
I spent a good bit of time in Malawi in the late 90’s. They have made a vast improvement in the airport in Blantyre. Back then the terminal was a 20’x30’ mud brick building. Your video brought back a lot of memories! Back then we flew South African Air back then either from JFK or Miami.
Noel as someone who has also traveled around the world, you tend to do what I do, if I get on with the cab driver on the way to the hotel I'll often arrange for them to give me a tour or pick me up when I'm heading back tothe airport, as long as their fee was reasonable an we got on on the journey to the hotel.
A very important tactic. I also get a card (if they have one) and tell them I will call them on a return trip. Then they tend to be very good.
Zambia 🇿🇲 is beautiful, and people are always friendly and kind.
The smoke smell is because a lot of people cook on charcoal fires. Often on outdoor kitchens.
Noel really ought to take the opportunity now-and-then to see how the other 90% live. His zip trip through Colombia made me sad.
It is really entertaining to join Noel on his travels! Great, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
The protea hotels were a South African brand with a footprint in Africa and were bought by Mariott a few years ago
Everyone seemed so friendly. Definitely a country I would love to visit. That Dash8 looked cool.
Yesterday I watched a historic video of the Night Ferry from London to Paris. That reminded me how exciting it was in the 1950s to be 'going abroad', and landing in a 'foreign country'.
And Noel calmly says he is flying through several African countries as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Which it is for Noel.
On the positive side Noel flies where Angels Fear to Tread, which saves me the journey. Only thing missing is anything about the places you visited. After all the ONLY point of making a journey is to GET somewhere you want to visit of BE.
"Noel flies where Angels Fear to Tread" -- I'll have to remember that one! 😂
Do you think all of Africa is a war zone?
I live in Blantyre and it is great to see you on Malawian airlines. Oh the staff getting duty free and holding the plane up. Happens frequently. I hope you enjoy Malawi
Zikomo
I flew out of Lilongwe airport in the 90's to hegin my journey home. A kerfuffle broke out in the loos. A fella rocked up with a stick, entered the loo. He came out the loo with a giant snake wrapped around said stick!! I've never been so happy to get home. 😅😅
😮
Nice chapter in the book 'Things you could experience flying in the 90's' 😂
I've seen that movie.
That would be some Noel P Loo Review!
Welcome to Lusaka Noel. Been following you for a while and it's great to see you visit my hometown.
Awesome! Thank you!
Been to Malawi last Year. Awesome Country, really the warm heart of Africa. We never stayed in a Hotel, never paid that much. Thats crazy. In Lilongwe we had a lovely stay at Avon Garden Apartments Area 25. Not in the City, more outskirts, but you get thrown right in the middle of Malawi Culture. 21$ for 2 double beds. Dont expect AC, or luxuries, your in one of the poorest countries. The two boys there took good care of us and tried to help with everything. Go to Malawi, immerse yourself, learn to love the country.
@@smorrnikow kkkkk area 25. You really lived with malawians
@smorrnikow
Come again! You'll find Air conditioned rooms and luxuries... I swear...
Great video ! You are fearless man , that plane was super sketchy , safe travels and we always look forward to Sunday morning.
Probably the taxi ride in the am was more scary with the typical African road traffic. But I might point out that many other countries have scary traffic if you not used to the area.
Yeah traveling in business class all the time is a hard job...
This was amazing journey minus the loo 🚽 review 😂 the hotel 🏨 was amazing. The view In Africa was incredible. Look forward to Sunday morning with Noel Philips. Safe Travels & Journey Noel ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I am a Malawians living in Malawi and i love this❤ Takulandilani to the warm heart of Africa
Last few videos have been excellent! Thanks for all the work you put into these.
Glad you like them!
Chileka, brings back memories! I actually feel quite tearful. My dad flew for Air Malawi in the 70s and we spent all our time at a little 'club' that was at the edge of the runway. Apparently the swimming pool was the fire water tank for the airport! I remember the British Airways cabin staff used to lay by the pool before flying out in the evening and would get very upset if we wet their hair by jumping in the pool! We left when I was 6 and have never gone back. Beautiful country. Thanks for this video.
So glad to hear the planes (Dash 8) that my Dad helped to develop as the Senior Avionic Specialists are still in service some where in the world! He has 6 other airplanes accredited to him as well!
Boy you lyin.
What a nice cab driver at Lilongwe. I like those side-by-side billboards on the road into town: One says "Tempered Glass" and the other says "God Loves You." I got a good laugh out of that.
President Noel not only managed to get away from joberg, he was able to ditch his secret service agents 😂
😂
Winter season is ending in Southern Africa, hence the burning of bushes to clear the land of dry grass and vegetation in preparation for fresh grass and planting season.
Good vlog of Malawi Airways.
Really one of the best episodes for me! Did you get Douglas taxi the next day..Such a nice dude!
Wow every single interaction in this episode was pleasant. Definetly will be visiting here now
Hope you had a good stay in Zambia Noel. I have been following your channel for quite a while and my very first time leaving a comment on here. I am very happy you’ve had a chance to visit my beautiful country Zambia. Next time please do fly into Livingstone to see one of the wonders of the world - the Victoria Falls. 🎉
Very interesting vlog. I wish you would have included the information about what you had for dinner and breakfast at the two hotels. Did you eat in or did you go out on the streets of town for dinners and breakfast. The two towns seemed pretty nice. Except for that heavy traffic bit. Everyone treated you very nice. Friendly peoples.
I remember flying on Malawi airlines back in 2014 as part of an audit. It was an interesting experience to say the least.
As an expat, this video has brought back many happy memories of Lilongwe.
"You also get a personalized good night" that cracked me up😂😂
Me too 😁
Noel says 100 ‘thank you’s ‘on every trip-most polite man on youtube! 😂👌
You can get the Englishman out of England, but you can't get England out of the Englishman. 😁
I always love your weekly travel videos, Noel, but this one was ❤🔥🔥!! I also loved that presidential suite hotel room you stayed in..that must have been the nicest hotel you've been in as of yet! I also love that this video is 45 minutes this week! Thank you for sharing your travels with the world and I look forward to seeing next week's video!
Malawi is a beautiful destination, visit her and appreciate the beauty on your own😊
Malawi is a jewel, yet to be discovered. It’s beauty is underrated. Of lava the countries I have visited, Malawi is my best. Beautiful, courteous people. I just love Malawi. You are in the right place. Enjoy it.
So many memories, I visited Malawi twice on business and spent about 6 weeks there. So many little anecdotes and stories of stuff that never happened anywhere else. I flew the predecessor Air Malawi and their 1986 737-300 7Q-YKP. I stayed in Blantyre and got the tag on to LLW back to JNB, I remember a hoard of women on their hands on knees when I boarded with brush and dustpans sweeping out the aircraft. People trying to sell roadkill at many traffic lights was one thing that sticks in the memory... but the river safari was incredible, I have been fascinated with crocs ever since
Lovely seeing you in my country Noel!! 🇲🇼🇲🇼
In my younger days (50 years ago) I hitch hiked from Cape Town (South Africa) to Mombasa (Kenya) . Malawi remains my favourite country of all those I travelled through. Beautiful friendly and welcoming people , fantastic landscapes an absolute gem of a country.
I know this is primarily a show about Air Travel but in all honesty I don't need to be shown around the amenities in yet another hotel room when sights like Lake Malawi and Mount Malange (it's got black and turquoise butterfly's as big as your hand ) is just outside your door.
Love your channel Noel but knock the hotel room reaction on the head and show us a bit more of the country you're in !
That's me assuming you visit more than just an airport terminal and a hotel ?
there's other channels for that to be fair, and probably ones that even he would admit would be able to cover those things more comprehensively. this channel is much more about the logistics
Yes! I’ve done some backpacking before covid and Malawians were the warmest, most welcoming people. A minute or two in convo and you’d be chatting like you’d known each other forever. I would love to go back.
His channel is mainly about plane travel and not the destination, but I couldn't fly all that way to a new country and then stay the night and leave, it would drive me crazy. He often also has a negative opinion of a city (like mine) that he hasn't even bothered to research or see properly, so in that case I think it would be better to keep opinions to himself and focus on reviewing the flight.
It must be Mulanje Mountain
I remember flying into Kamuzu International in Lilongwe about 13 years ago. It was my first and only time ever traveling to Africa. I remember vividly going through passport control and seeing frogs jumping around the exit of the airport which was just a few meters away! Seems like the airport has been renovated since then. Also in stark contrast, i remember the cheapest room I got was at the Zomba Guesthouse - it cost £2.50 per night, but it was sketchy as hell, and someone tried to enter the room in the middle of the night. Thank goodness I had locked the door from the inside.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I volunteered worked in Zambia in Ndola many years ago Zambian people are wonderful
Did anyone notice that the airport is running an unactivated copy of windows? Go to 2:30 and see
Inactivated but yeah, that’s hilarious lol
They haven't heard of Linux yet
Good catch, that is funny!
They are running some pirated crack software. It's common in Africa.
@@Accuface2000 I just hope the airplane navigation system and air traffic control are using legit software.
The 40 mins of delight is what we needed. Thank you! Noel, thank you! I wouldn’t mind it to be longer if there are more videos of the places you visited 😂❤
Presidential Suites. I used to be an Amtrak cafe attendant over 25 years ago out of Washington, DC. Off and on over the years I laid over in Springfield, MA at several hotels in the area. One of the go-to's for Amtrak employees was (is?) the downtown Holiday Inn. Amtrak (and other transportation companies) pays a company to arrange for flat rate hotel rooms for it's employees, no matter the day of the year. It's a guaranteed occupied room every night, even when it's slow, so the hotels accept the deal. A couple of times when I stayed there on a busy weekend and was about the last check-in for the night for a short turnaround, the desk clerk either didn't have any other rooms left or took pity on me, and gave me the Presidential Suite. I believe Bill Clinton stayed in that room once when visiting Springfield as POTUS, not sure about that. Anyway, it was a nice suite, with a living area, but only one bedroom, essentially two en suited rooms. The thing that stood out to me the most is that instead of the really nice large bathroom with both a huge shower and Jacuzzi tub Noel had, this one only had two standard Holiday Inn bathrooms. Kind of a letdown.
A lot of companies have arrangements with hotel chains with similar conditions.
@@Canleaf08 The company I worked for always used Holiday Inn Express (so I could say I knew what I was doing :) Had to pay for breakfast, but I was traveling with the old faithful American Express Corp card, so it didn't matter.
Always a pleasure to watch your videos Noel, great job!
Glad you like them!
Sunday morning in Houston I got to go to Africa while drinking my coffee, love your videos.
Thoroughly entertaining Noel I can see that 1 million followers for sure. All the best to Rach and the kids.
Got to love Africa.... I went to Primary School in Zambia (but in Kitwe) Happy Days
Good to see you in my home country, Zambia. I am a fan of your videos.
Good to see some service on economy - and yes better than many western airlines for a 2 hour flight.
The first place you stopped at looked pretty scenic! Shame you didn’t get to go on safari or anything and experience the culture for longer, but this looks like a new place to add to the list!
Experience the culture, as if!
I see the flight he arrived on and 'escaped' from was still on the ground when he left for Malawi - perhaps waiting for their 'lost' passenger to appear?
I had my boarding pass already for the next (international) flight so I didn’t need to enter SA, I stayed airside. Also they ended up canceling the flight entirely and putting other passengers on another airline to Maputo so they weren’t looking for me
@@noelphilipsExtremely lucky, how it all worked out.
Remember, that’s Noel’s version of events.
That poor crew will definitely have another version of a Four Hour delay, not wanting to leave anyone behind. Citing such care and dedication as standards for their carrier! 😮😂😂😂
I loved the music, it makes me smile and think of the sun, smiles and wonderfully coloured materials and dresses. Thank you. ❤.
Man you do the most random routings it’s great
Glad you like them!
NOEL - both the 737 and the DASH 8 are ex Ethiopian Airlines planes, you can even see the old ET on the tail of the DASH-8. Ethiopian Airlines own 49% of Malawi Airlines so that probably explains them using these old planes. ET's fleet is very modern, one of the most updated in the world flying a mix of Boeing, Airbus, and the DASH-8 Q400 from Bombardier. I recently lived in Ethiopia for a couple of years and grew up in Malawi and Zambia in the late 60's - early 70's, and therefore I thoroughly enjoyed this trip down memory lane.
Some great music today. Thank you.
As a Noel AND a Malawian... im proud and filled with pride
It’s so fun getting to travel the world with you Noel. Thank you and Keep up the great videos 👍
Glad you enjoy it!
Almost stopped paying attention at the end until the random currency at the end, Malagasy Ariary! We're in Toamasina for the next couple of years and are still getting used to this currency. Safe travels out there, Noel!
I always love how Noel finds the bright side of a strange situation. In this case a staff coming into the room no knowing anyone was in there.
More like passive aggressive lol
Your videos never ever disappoint, these flights were on the dodgy side, but what a great time you had. As always Noel, you take us along the load less travelled ❤❤❤
Glad you enjoyed it
Man ran away from Mozambique Airlines haha
He really had to to save himmself😂😂😂😂😂
2:50 comming in with that Activate Windows prompt made me burst out laughing😂
Good video noel thank you for trying out national airline i hoped you enjoyed it it is true that they do take there time in the duty free section 😂 love from malawi
Fan of your channel, lived all my life in England but i was born in Blantyre Malawi so was great to see you go there.
When I heard the taxi price I was expecting him to get fleeced, but a 45 minute ride that’s is not an unfair price. Surely it’s the tourist price, but it’s not an unfair one.
i love this kind of content ❤❤❤.
Lovely seeing you in my country Noel🇲🇼🇲🇼🇲🇼
Malawi airport is tiny! I don’t know if they’ve done work there since I was last in Lilongwe, but I remember people waiting out on a balcony waving at incoming planes. Never been to Blantyre, but it’s on the list.
Great idea to come to Blantyre, life is super cheap now over here
Oh my word Noel! Good, bad or indifferent,I believe we are so fortunate to get to witness the wonders of the world via modern technology. Much appreciated!!
Lusaka, good days we had there. I spent a great deal of time working there for Zanaco (you can see their former aircraft in the video @ 38:28). You are lucky to have travelled there through the new airport, the old one was horrendous with it's long cues and waiting time for your luggage. But Zambian people are among of the nicest you will every experience in Africa, I could even walk at night without one second of feeling in danger. Been to Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe and Kasama. Zambia will always have a special place in my heart.
Darn, these videos are just addictive. All of a sudden it is 6 am in EET.And now I need to start going more often to Africa and have flights around on different airlines. :)
Blud escaped Mozambique for this💀🙏😭
Great video, thanks!! I really enjoy seeing Africa. Everyone seems so kind and welcoming.