United Airlines has made a formal application to bring direct flights from Washington DC to Cape Town later this year.
Direct flights from Washington DC to Cape Town coming soon
Per Tourism Update, the American airline filed an application with respective regulatory authorities in both countries in a bid to introduce, for the first time ever, year-round trips from November 2022.
Earlier this year, United Airlines announced its intention to bridge the distance between the southern tip of Africa and the US in 2022 and this application forms part of those plans.
From what has been reported thus far, the airline plans to operate three direct flights departing from the Dulles International Airport in Washington DC on Monday, Thursday and Saturday evening, and arriving in Cape Town the next day.
In turn, the direct flight departing from the Cape Town International Airport to Dulles would be available on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
Already, United Airlines operates direct flights from New York to Cape Town, but this additional route, the carrier noted in its application, will bring about an opportunity “to seamlessly [connect] key business and government hubs between the US and South Africa and [enhance] consumer options and convenience.”
“The allocation of these frequencies to United will enhance competition against Delta… [and] United’s service from both of its East Coast hubs in total will provide nearly twice the number of weekly seats than Delta’s Cape Town proposal,” the airline noted.
Direct flights from Washington DC to Cape Town are expected to launch on or before 17 November 2022.