Travelling to the United Kingdom (UK) from Cape Town will be made a lot simpler in months to come, thanks to Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic.
When will Virgin Atlantic direct flights from Cape Town to UK resume?
The aviation billionaire made the announcement during a visit to the Mother City. As reported by Business Insider, Branson is in Cape Town to raise funds for the Desmond Tutu Foundation and lead a keynote at The Elders meeting.
From what we understand, direct flights from Cape Town to the UK will launch on 22 November 2022, bringing an additional 80 000 seats to the route. The UK-Cape Town flight will depart from Heathrow International Airport at 16:20 and land at the Cape Town International Airport 16 hours later.
The return route is expected to depart the Mother City at 08:00 and land in London later that day, at 17:45.
Virgin Atlantic will operate these direct flights on the airline’s flagship Boeing 787-9, offering passengers Upper Class, Premium and Economy Light, Classic, and Delight seating.
Western Cape Premier welcomed the announcement as one of many future partnerships to come from John Steenhuisen’s show of support for Ukraine.
“I welcome the announcement by Sir [Richard Branson] that Virgin Atlantic will be resuming direct seasonal flights between Cape Town and London. With over 80 000 seats to be added from November, this route will go long way in boosting the WC’s tourism [and] hospitality sectors,” he wrote in a tweet.
✈️ I welcome the announcement by Sir @richardbranson that Virgin Atlantic will be resuming direct seasonal flights between Cape Town and London. With over 80 000 seats to be added from November, this route will go long way in boosting the WC's tourism & hospitality sectors. pic.twitter.com/bv1lsmimC1
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) May 23, 2022