New direct flights to Cape Town
New direct flights from Cape Town to Fankfurt are set boost tourism between the two regions.
Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities, welcomed Lufthansa German Airlines’ decision to offer direct flights between Frankfurt and Cape Town,which comes into effect from 2 December 2016.
Flights will depart from Frankfurt every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
The Cape Town route will be served by a newly retrofitted Airbus A340-300, which includes over 279 seats and offers the new Intercontinental Business Class (30), new Premium Economy (28) Class and Economy Class (221).
Flight LH576 leaves Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub at 22:10 and arrives in Cape Town the following morning at 11h00. The return journey departs from Cape Town at 18h30 and touches down in Frankfurt the following morning at 5h30.
Minister Winde thanked the airline for the business confidence in the Western Cape.
“Increased air access has a direct impact on jobs and growth. Through Project Khulisa, we are making it easier for visitors to travel to our region. This is why we launched the Cape Town Air Access initiative, which is a partnership between government, Airports Company South Africa, Wesgro and airline industries. “
Earlier this week, British Airways announced that it was increasing its flights to Cape Town.
Minister Winde commended the province’s tourism sector for their role in the launch of new flights to the region.
“The tourism sector continues to reinvest in itself and this is why the world’s biggest airlines have the confidence to invest in our region. We see new hotels are being built; the private sector is developing conferencing centres, such as the facility in Century City.
In addition, our tourism sector offers great service, which is an important factor in repeat visits. We’re seeing these investments pay off. Our 2015/16 season was one of the best yet and we achieved strong growth in international arrivals from strategic markets," said Minister Winde.
“This connection extends the Lufthansa Group’s flight offering to Cape Town, complementing the seasonal services of Lufthansa German Airlines from Munich and Zurich with SWISS leisure carrier Edelweiss,” said Dr. André Schulz, Lufthansa General Manager for Southern Africa, in a statement.
During the European Winter Season, Lufthansa operates up to seven weekly flights between the carrier’s Bavarian Hub in Munich and Cape Town, while Edelweiss serves the city with two weekly flights.
For media queries, kindly contact:
Bronwynne Jooste
Tel: 021 483 3550
Cell: 060 970 4301
E-mail: bronwynne.jooste@westerncape.gov.za
