British Airways is scaling up services in South Africa. From November 20, the British flag carrier will double its London Heathrow – Cape Town frequencies, offering twice-daily flights between the two cities.

In a first for the route, British Airways will optimize its Airbus A350-1000s alongside its current Boeing 777-200ERs.

All aboard

The twice-daily flights will begin next Sunday, replacing its current daily schedule. However, Airbus A350-1000 services have already been launched on the route, with today’s BA 0043 serving as the inaugural flight for the type.

BA 0059 is scheduled on Saturdays to take off around five minutes later. Similarly, the return leg from Cape Town BA 0042 is planned for a 21:05 departure on Friday and Saturday.

Starting December 13, British Airways will resume its thrice-weekly flights from London Gatwick Airport to Cape Town, adding over 4000 seats monthly with its 777-200ER. Flights will take off on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Both boosted services will run until March 25, 2023.

While offering a similar capacity to the current Boeing 777-200ER, the A350 is a relatively recent addition to British Airways’ fleet, joining the Airbus A380 as the airline’s flagship.

The next-generation fuel-efficient jet offers the lowest fuel consumption in any turbofan aircraft, significantly reducing CO2 emissions, packaged alongside British Airways’ luxury Club World Suite offerings. Onboard the A350-1000, business class passengers will benefit from the suite’s direct aisle access, enhanced privacy, a 79” fully flat bed, and 17” high-resolution screens for in-flight entertainment.

Tourist recovery

Earlier this month, Virgin Atlantic resumed daily flights between London Heathrow and Cape Town, for a total of 24 weekly services to connect the cities from December. It looks to be a positive sign for the region’s tourism market, which is already preparing for an influx of summer tourists following the relaxation of pandemic entry restrictions.

Cape Town’s Mayoral Member for Economic Growth and Tourism, James Vos, took to social media to celebrate the announcement and its positive impact on the local economy.

“Happy to share the good news that from November there will be a total of 24 flights per week between Cape Town and UK for the summer season,” wrote Vos.

“We are working around the clock to make the tourism sector bounce back stronger than before. The visitor economy is everyone’s business.”

British travelers represent a significant portion of South Africa’s international tourist numbers. In 2019, 430,000 British citizens visited the country, adding R9.4 billion ($545 million) to the economy.

According to data compiled by Business Insider, tourism has been steadily increasing through 2022, almost rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. In April, Cape Town saw 10,255 inbound British travelers, down just 212 compared to April 2019 and a notable increase from April 2021’s 400 passengers.

Will you be flying to Cape Town this summer? What other South African destinations would you like to see British Airways add? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Business Insider (1) (2)

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  British Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BA/BAW

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

  Year Founded:

  1974

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  Airline Group:

  IAG

  CEO:

  Sean Doyle

  Country:

  United Kingdom