Terminal T3 hosts 4 airlines.
Opened in 2021, Terminal 3 is Zanzibar’s main international hub
All Qatar Airways, FlyDubai, Oman Air, and Turkish Airlines flights use Terminal 3, which sits in a separate building from older domestic T2. This is the modern side of Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, handling almost all non-domestic traffic. If you arrive on an international flight and connect to a local hop, you’ll likely land at T3 and then transfer over to T2, with an outdoor walk between the two buildings.
Layout is compact: check-in, security, and immigration sit close together
Terminal 3 is small by big-hub standards, with check-in counters, security screening, and passport control only a short walk apart. One TripAdvisor reviewer called it “the least congested airport I’ve been to” and said moving from check-in through security and immigration felt “flawless and close to each other.” Don’t expect long concourses or trains; you’re never more than a few minutes from your gate once you clear the formalities.
Small doesn’t mean fast: visa and immigration can hit 40–90 minutes
At peak times, visa on arrival and immigration in T3 regularly stretch to 40–90 minutes, especially when several widebodies from Doha, Dubai, Muscat, or Istanbul land close together. Multiple security checks add more time on top, and some guides describe the process as “leisurely.” In high season, queues can swell quickly, so the compact footprint of T3 often tricks first-timers into underestimating how long the paperwork actually takes.
Arrivals: what happens after you land in Terminal 3
After your aircraft parks at T3, you’ll follow signs for immigration and visa on arrival, which are on the same level and only a short walk from the gates. Bags usually come out on a small set of belts just past passport control, in the same general area, so you’re not hiking far with luggage. A local Reddit poster described the airport as “small, so it’s very easy to get through,” but that comment assumes you’ve already cleared the visa and passport queue.
Departures: treat this like a big international airport on timing
Frequent visitors in Zanzibar travel Facebook groups routinely suggest arriving around 3 hours before international departures from T3, especially December–March and July–August. They’ve seen passport-control and security timing swing from 25 minutes to well over an hour, even for a single Qatar or Turkish long-haul bank. A 2-hour arrival can work on a quiet afternoon, but 3 hours is the safer number for evening waves.
Facilities are basic: no branded lounges, few food options
Terminal 3 doesn’t yet have catalogued airline or pay-per-use lounges for Qatar Airways, FlyDubai, Oman Air, or Turkish Airlines, despite all four using the building. On most reports, you get simple seating, some small kiosks, and very limited food or retail, rather than a full shopping strip. Prices skew above town levels for snacks and drinks, so eat in Zanzibar City first if you can, then just top up water or a small bite in T3.
Connections between T3 and T2 stay tight but manual
ZNZ uses only two terminals, T2 and T3, and they sit next to each other but in separate buildings on the same side of the airfield. If you arrive internationally into T3 and continue on a domestic flight from T2, you re-check bags and go back through security on the T2 side. A local Reddit thread about a 3.5-hour transit described this as “small and easy,” but that timing already includes a healthy buffer for immigration and the walk between buildings.
What regulars actually do
Regulars flying out of Terminal 3 on Qatar Airways QR1470, FlyDubai FZ1688, or similar late-evening departures tend to get dropped off about 3 hours ahead, then move directly to check-in and passport control instead of lingering outside. Those doing visa on arrival on the inbound leg mentally budget 40–60 minutes just for that step and immigration before even thinking about bags or ATMs. Many repeat visitors treat the whole airport as “small and easy,” yet still build the buffer because they’ve been burned by sudden queue spikes.
Watch out for: queue spikes and limited food once you’re airside
Complaints cluster around two things: long, slow-moving lines at visa on arrival and passport control when multiple widebodies land within 60 minutes, and a lack of solid food options once you’re past security in T3. Some Facebook reports mention total processing times hitting 1 to 1.5 hours from aircraft door to baggage hall on busy days. If you land hungry on a late-night Turkish or FlyDubai flight, you’ll notice the absence of branded restaurants more than in a bigger African gateway.
One simple tip
Build at least a 3-hour cushion for departures from Terminal 3 and treat anything quicker as a bonus; this lines up with what frequent posters on r/zanzibar and local Facebook groups report after repeat runs through ZNZ.