Cape Town tourism business enterprise Wesgro is has showed to Simple Flying that they may be in “advanced” talks with Norwegian to introduce opposition at the Cape Town – London path.
According to Inside Travel, on July eleventh Tim Harris, Wesgro’s CEO, informed delegates at the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) Conference that it’s far in talks with Norwegian Airlines approximately introducing a London Gatwick – Cape Town direction in the close to destiny.
Growing the tourism zone
In his speech at the SATSA convention, Harris had a dialogue approximately how properly-related cities and areas will do nicely within the future, pronouncing,
Bradley Bouwer, a SATSA executive, additionally made comparable feedback about the importance of air get admission to. In his presentation, Bouwer presented information to SATSA delegates, explaining how total seat capability among South African and global locations on direct routes has grown by 2.8% because of 2013.
The opposition:
Currently, the only direct yr-round daily flight between London and Cape Town is with British Airways. This day by day overnight flight is 12-hours and uses a Boeing 747-400. With a direct journey lasting 12 hours, it looks like vacationers could most possibly choose to no longer make it anymore with the aid of together with a forestall alongside the manner. As such, British Airways are capable of rate a top rate for this faster, less laborious journey.
Thomas Cook also flies from London Gatwick to Cape Town 3 instances every week (Monday, Friday, and Sunday) on a seasonal basis. At the moment this is scheduled to move from December 2019 to March 2020.
The case for competition
Using a random Google Flights look for a round-experience between the 2 cities, it appears that each one different flight itineraries are 20-30% lower than the price of an immediate flight with British Airways. However, with all different opposition requiring a connection, passengers are spending as a minimum greater hours getting to their destination.
It appears then that having different airlines fly a right away course might drive down the charge for vacationers. British Airways could compete with a budget choice being Norwegian.
Cape Town is an extraordinary excursion destination and a place that already appeals to Brits. However, Cape Town tourism’s Annual Report for 2017/2018 suggests that for yr-on-year arrivals from the United Kingdom, there has been a kind of 15% lower in visitors. Hopefully, numbers have grown seeing that.
What we will count on
If talks grow to be motion then this would be one among Norwegian Air’s longest routes, and truely it’s first to sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, the airline has some longer routes from London Gatwick. These include destinations at the US West Coast as well as a nearly 14-hour flight to Buenos Aires.
Norwegian’s long-haul fleet is only made up of its 4 to three hundred and sixty-five days antique Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This would be the aircraft flying the route among the Norwegian base in London Gatwick to the South African metropolis.
Could Virgin Atlantic additionally launch Cape Town flights?
With British Airways already jogging flights to Cape Town and Norwegian eyeing them up, it might be natural for Virgin Atlantic to comply with match, the airline already flies to Johannesburg the usage of a 787 and we would count on the identical aircraft for use for service to Cape Town.
