While many airlines have initially poured all their resources into launching new routes to smaller European cities amid a post-pandemic surge in American tourists to the continent, the tide is beginning to turn toward demand from other continents.
In early spring 2024, United Airlines (UAL) announced new flights to Tokyo and Cebu in the Philippines for the summer and at the same time increased the number of flights it makes to Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong from the west coast of the United States. Delta Airlines (give it) and the Nordic Atlantic (NRSAF) Both have set their sights on Africa with new or return flights to Ghana and South Africa.
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Amid competitor interest in the latter, United Airlines Sales Director for Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India and Israel, Thorsten Lettnin told the aviation website Simple Flying says the airline sees big opportunities in expanding to Cape Town. The airline launched its first flight to Cape Town from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in 2019 and currently operates 13 weekly flights to the country from the US: six weekly flights to Johannesburg and one daily service to Cape Town.
United talks about 'stable year-round demand, new growth opportunities'
“If you look specifically at travel demand to Cape Town, one would think it is volatile and temperature dependent, i.e. there is less demand during the South African winter,” Lettnin told Simple Flying. “However, if you look at international arrivals from the United States to South Africa, it is within a relatively narrow corridor. “There is stable demand throughout the year, which shows us that there are potentially more opportunities for growth.”
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As Lettnin explained, the number of travelers between the US and Cape Town used to be more seasonal, but there is currently high demand amid a surge in people taking long-awaited trips to far-flung destinations post-pandemic. For the past three years, United has been working to expand your partnership with the South African airline Airlink so that passengers could connect to more destinations on the African continent with Cape Town or Johannesburg as a hub.
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Africa's growing demand has been slowly being noticed (and acted upon) in the aviation industry. In April, low-cost airline Norse Atlantic challenged the existing duopoly of travelers having to choose between British Airways and South African Airways to get between Cape Town and London with a new flight for much less than what a conventional airline offers.
The flight to Cape Town from London Gatwick International Airport (LGW) will begin operations on October 28 and will cost around $600 each way. The current range for a conventional airline currently starts at $2,000 for a round trip.
“We are delighted to introduce our new route between London and Cape Town,” Norse founder and CEO Bjorn Tore Larsen said in a statement at the time. “At Norse Atlantic Airways, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the wonders of the world and our new route to Cape Town will allow many more people to visit this incredible destination.”
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