Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille is confident that the increase of the United Airlines’ flights to South Africa, will bolster economic growth and tourism in the country.
This after the American airline announced that it’ll be expanding its African network by introducing a new long-haul service from Washington Dulles Airport to Cape Town International Airport.
De Lille believes this will have a positive impact on arrivals to South Africa.
“We welcome this development and announcement by United Airlines to increase the number of flights between South Africa and the USA, as the route has been in high demand and has made travel significantly more seamless between the two countries.
This route was launched in November 2022, operating three times a week and has been hugely successful.
United Airlines’ second African route, linking Newark with Johannesburg, has operated daily since June 2021 and this route will also be expanded by the airline,” said De Lille.
In addition, the minister said that the direct flights have yielded positive results in the past.
“In 2024 arrivals from the USA stood at over 430 000, up by more than 21 000 or 5.2% compared to 2023.
In 2023 arrivals from the USA stood at over 409 000, an increase of more than 111 000 or 37.4% compared to 2022, when direct flights between South Africa and the USA were introduced”, explained the De Lille.
Furthermore, the department said it’ll continue to strengthen partnerships and grow arrivals even more between the US and South Africa.
