(01 August 2022, 11:33 +07)
United Airlines has unveiled plans to launch
direct flights between Washington Dulles Airport and Cape Town.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has given
the airline the green light to operate thrice weekly direct
flights, which will commence on 17 November 2022, subject to
approval by the government in South Africa.
United started a seasonal service from New
York/Newark to Cape Town in 2019 and expanded it to year-round
in 2022.
United Airlines B787-9 reg: N24974. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com
"We are thrilled to further expand our Africa
offering with this first-ever direct link between Washington DC
and Cape Town," said Patrick Quayle, United's Senior Vice
President of Global Network Planning and Alliances. "These new
flights build upon our existing year-round New York/Newark to Cape
Town service – together they'll provide a near-daily pattern from
the U.S. to Cape Town along with connectivity to the broader
region through our Airlink partnership."
United will soon offer a total of 19 weekly
flights to Africa - in addition to the new flights to Cape Town,
the airline launched nonstop flights from New York/Newark to
Johannesburg and Washington D.C. to Accra, Ghana and Lagos,
Nigeria in 2021.
Prior to the new United flight, Washington, D.C.
to Cape Town was the largest route between the U.S. and Cape Town
without nonstop service, and D.C. is also home to the fifth
largest South-African-born population.
United's new flights will
connect Cape Town to 55 U.S. cities, representing more than 92% of
the U.S. travel demand. The new flights will also allow customers
to connect in Cape Town to other points in South Africa, and to
other countries in the southern region of the African continent
with United's South African based partner Airlink and their Cape
Town hub.
United will fly a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft
on the new route, which features 48 lie-flat, United Polaris
business class seats, 21 United Premium Plus seats and 188
economy seats.
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