Cathay Pacific chief executive officer, Rupert Hogg said: “We are very pleased to be able to expand our services in Africa, a booming aviation market. Growing our reach to destinations that are not otherwise served from Hong Kong creates considerable new opportunities for business, trade and tourism, in addition to strengthening our home hub.”
Hogg added that the new service will meet customer demand for travel to the scenic Western Cape throughout the southern hemisphere’s peak summer months, as well as provide an additional option for South African-based travellers looking to fly on Cathay Pacific to Asia and beyond via Hong Kong.
The Cathay Pacific group has expanded its network significantly in recent times. In 2017, services to Tel Aviv, Barcelona and Christchurch were launched, while this January saw the inaugural service to Nanning. Other regional and international routes to commence in 2018 include Jinan and Brussels (March), Copenhagen (May), Dublin (June) and Washington DC (September).
Western Cape minister of economic opportunities, Alan Winde said: “We are thrilled that Cathay Pacific is launching a direct flight to Cape Town. This will allow us to unlock massive tourism potential from the East, a market which is already very important to us.”
CEO of Wesgro, Tim Harris echoed this sentiment and added: “This vote of confidence will help boost growth, help us land even more investment, and create additional jobs for the people of the Cape. We look forward to welcoming the first flight, and our team will work closely with the airline to help make the route a success.”
The new Cape Town service between 13 November 2018 and 18 February 2019 are as follows (all times local):
