Cape Town Air Access has announced a direct air route from London Heathrow to Cape Town, with Virgin Atlantic. The service will be available from October 2020 onwards.
The reinstating of this air route will ease the difficulty of travel for both business and leisure between South Africa and the United Kingdom. “The daily service will not only enhance a vital link between Cape Town and the UK’s capital, but it also provides seamless connections via Heathrow to Europe and North America,” says Liezl Gericke, Head of Africa, Middle East and India, at Virgin Atlantic.
Not only will this route make travelling easier, it will also impact the Western Cape economy positively. It is reported that every 10% increase in passenger numbers will result in a 2% growth in the regional economy.
Around 3 000 jobs are supported by each regularly scheduled long-haul flight. Tourism will also be on the rise due to the increase in access to Cape Town.
“The UK is the top market for Cape Town and the Western Cape, in terms of both trade and travel, so this addition to the Cape Town air route network will only serve to strengthen business and tourism between the regions”, says Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro.
David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities is optimistic about the fruitfulness of the reintroduced route and is excited for an increased number of visitors to the Mother City. “We welcome the announcement of the new route between London Heathrow to Cape Town so that more people can experience the best that Cape Town and the Western Cape have to offer”, he says.
According to the Virgin Atlantic Facebook page, flights commence on October 25, 2020 and bookings for flights are available from February 18.
For more information visit: www.virginatlantic.com or www.virginholidays.co.uk or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic @virginholidays
Picture: Unsplash
