Virgin Atlantic starts Cape Town flights

UK-based carrier Virgin Atlantic has begun flying into Cape Town. The airline launched scheduled flights into the Mother City on 28 October.  

VIRGIN ATLANTIC LAUNCHES CAPE TOWN ROUTE

The route is operated as a seasonal service.  Virgin’s flights will operate during the European winter months, bringing passengers from London’s Heathrow Airport to Cape Town in South Africa.  

These seasonal flights will continue until the end of March next year.

“I am delighted for the return of the 2023/2024 season of this well-loved route between Cape Town and London,” said Marc Harding, Country Manager for South Africa at Virgin Atlantic, per Travel News.

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VIRGIN ATLANTIC

These seasonal Virgin Atlantic flights supplement the airline’s year-round daily flights between London and Johannesburg.

The Cape Town service will make an additional 80 000 seats available between the UK and Cape Town.

“This service will make it even easier for our customers to travel for business and leisure between South Africa and the United Kingdom, as well as providing seamless connections via Heathrow to Europe and North America. The service will also create additional cargo capacity, transporting essential goods between South Africa and the UK and beyond,” said Harding. 

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TOURISM HOTSPOT

Cape Town is proving immensely popular as a tourist destination. A number of international airlines are keen to put flights onto this route.

Several carriers have started up scheduled flights to the Mother City in recent years.

AIR ACCESS PROJECT

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, various airlines have launched direct or tag-on flights to Cape Town International Airport. 

This is partly due to growing demand from international visitors but also due to route development initiatives launched by Wesgro’s Cape Town Air Access project.

This team, based in Cape Town works to stimulate economic growth in the Western Cape through tourism activities. It facilitates the processes for airline route development into the Mother City.   

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