Cape Town Welcomes Luxurious Dreamliner Aircraft from Turkey

Cape Town, South Africa, has become the second city on the African continent to welcome the luxurious 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. (United Airlines has been flying its Dreamliner plane from New York to Johannesburg since June last year.)

The introduction of luxurious Dreamliner aircraft flights between Cape Town and Istanbul began today, 1 April 2022. Cape Town has been selected as Turkey’s priority destination for the aircraft on the continent.

Turkish Airlines says that the Dreamliner is the airline’s most-advanced aircraft, with a seating capacity of 300 passengers, including 270 Economy Class seats and 30 Business Class seats.

The Dreamliner provides on-board dining and in-flight entertainment, and says it offers exceptional Business Class treatment, with forty-four-inch legroom and a 180-degree full flat 76-inch seat bed length for each of the 30 seats.

City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth Alderman James Vos says: “This is great news for Cape Town! The additional capacity provided by the Dreamliner aircraft between Istanbul and Cape Town will offer superb potential for growth in business and leisure travel between these destinations for international visitors and locals alike.

“As the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, I’m keenly aware of the benefits to the local economy of being able to bring more passengers and flights to Cape Town. It is because of these significant spin-offs that I motivated for more funding towards our Air Access initiative. The more we extend our reach, the more Cape Town and South Africa can reap the economic benefits of tourism.”

Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy agrees, saying: “Istanbul is a pivotal transport hub for Europe and other continents, and this attractive aircraft will enable us to welcome more visitors to the city. Reigniting global tourism takes practical measures such as this, we look forward to the opportunities this will create so that more international visitors can come and find their freedom in Cape Town.

The Turkish Airlines’ 787-9 Dreamliner will service four flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) between Cape Town International Airport (CPT) and Istanbul Airport.