Linking Cape Town to the world through improved air access bodes well for South Africa’s corporate travel market, not only in Cape Town but internationally.
Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape, announced new air routes into Cape Town, bringing an additional 130,000 international seats to Cape Town International Airport’s capacity during the South African summer season starting October 2017.
“We are very pleased to hear that the Lufthansa Group will be launching one new route and two route expansions from Cape Town, further delivering convenience and more choice for corporate travellers, which is becoming more important than ever before,” says Oz Desai, GM Corporate Traveller.
Lufthansa will fly between Frankfurt and Cape Town five times weekly from 29 October. Edelweiss will operate thrice weekly flights between Zurich and Cape Town from 27 November. And Austrian Airlines will launch a twice-weekly route between Vienna and Cape Town from 27 October 2018.
Wesgro’s initiative to improve direct air access to and from Cape Town is laudable, explains Desai. “Since the Wesgro initiative was launched, we’re seeing the development of Cape Town as an air hub in South Africa through which corporate travellers can connect seamlessly.”
New air routes open up trade opportunities and with that comes more travel – both business and leisure. For time-sensitive business travellers, direct routes like these being introduced from Cape Town are essential.
Dr. Andre Schulz, Lufthansa Group Manager for Southern Africa says the group is looking to expand its presence into Southern Africa. “We have already made multiple announcements over the past year regarding the increased Lufthansa Group services to the Mother City.”
According to Wesgro, Cape Town International Airport experienced close to 30% growth in international passenger traffic in 2016, breaking the 10 million passenger per annum mark for the first time. From January to June 2017, international passenger traffic grew by 27% compared to the same period last year.