United Airlines is adjusting its South African flight schedule by shifting one of its Johannesburg-Newark flights to Cape Town.
Newark Airport/Tim Gouw/Unsplash
According to a report by Travel News in February, United Airlines submitted an application to the US Department of Transport to modify its South Africa route. This comes in response to the increase of US tourists travelling to Cape Town. With the request finally being approved, the new schedule will come into effect on the 29th of October, 2025.
The updated Cape Town schedule will now have:
- Four weekly flights between Cape Town (CPT) and Newark (EWR)
- Three weekly flights between Cape Town and Washington D.C. (IAD)
This follows a similar application by Delta Air Lines who cited data showing the increase in leisure tourism from Northern Hemisphere customers looking to escape the winter.
Source: Delta Air Lines
This is further supported by numbers collected by Further Africa, showing a 10%+ increase in international arrivals into Cape Town International Airport from 2023 to 2024. The city welcomed an estimated 3 million international tourists, with numbers only continuing to go up.
The adjustments made by United and Delta is a direct reflection of ever-evolving seasonal patterns. This could cause a ripple effect among other airlines as tourism to Cape Town continues to surge.
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