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Cape Town, South Africa, welcomed yet another airline offering direct flights to its shores ahead of its peak Southern Hemisphere summer season.
Norse Atlantic Airways undertook its inaugural direct flight between London (Gatwick) and Cape Town on Tuesday, October 25. This will be a seasonal route, with Norse operating three flights a week until the end of April 2025. A Boeing 787-9, offering a premium and economy class, is used on the route.
The new offering to Cape Town is the latest achievement by Cape Town Air Access, a collaboration between the private sector and six government entities, including Wesgro, the official tourism, trade, and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape province.
According to Paul van den Brink, aviation liaison at Cape Town Air Access, the new strategic partnership with Norse will bolster Cape Town‘s global connectivity, mainly as the UK is South Africa and the Western Cape’s most significant source market for international passengers (followed by the United States and Germany). The addition of the Norse Atlantic direct flights increases the weekly international flights between Cape Town and the United Kingdom to 31 for the 2024/2025 season.
Furthermore, since Norse Atlantic is a low-cost airline, Van den Brink says it gives travelers even more comprehensive options, especially for price-sensitive South African passengers. Van den Brink adds that Norse will soon be the only airline flying directly into Gatwick from Cape Town. The other two airlines offering direct flights between London and Cape Town are BA and Virgin Atlantic, which offer seasonal flights.
Bjorn Tore Larsen, CEO and founder of Norse Atlantic, said in a statement that the airline’s commitment to making travel more affordable and comfortable aligns perfectly with its ambition to be “the explorers’ airline,” connecting not only the UK and South Africa but also strengthening ties with Norway.
“We believe Cape Town is a gem that more people should discover, and we are excited to play a part in making that happen,” said Larsen.
According to Mark Maclean, regional general manager of Airports Company South Africa, Cape Town International Airport has fully recovered and is up 16.6% over pre-COVID levels, which is, in his view, a testament to the city’s appeal.
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