United Airlines inaugurates first ever nonstop service between Cape Town and New York

The first inbound flight from New York/Newark was welcomed to Cape Town International Airport with a special salute, whilst customers, guests, United executives, staff and crew were joined by local government officials and the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa for a special ribbon cutting ceremony before the departure of the first northbound return flight.

United’s new route will enable new and expanded economic opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic. As a metropolitan centre, New York is the largest regional economy in the U.S. and a global hub for banking, finance and communications. It is also a major manufacturing and thriving technology sector. Cape Town and the Western Cape are home to more than 6.8 million people and have some of the most innovative global technology, finance and media industries, making it an ideal partner. It is also Southern Africa’s prime agri-industry and viticulture centre. 

“We are excited to inaugurate our non-stop seasonal service between Cape Town and our New York/Newark hub,” said Bob Schumacher, United Regional Director Sales. “Our new flight will not only improve the current journey time between the two cities by more than four hours, it also strengthens our international route network and provides customers in South Africa with over 80 nonstop connections from New York/Newark to other destinations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.”

“The new United Airlines flight between Newark and Cape Town is a wonderful sign of the United States and its business community’s continuing engagement with Cape Town, South Africa, and the continent,” said U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Lana Marks. “There are deep, long-standing ties of affection that bind the people of the United States and South Africa together, and this flight symbolises bringing our two countries even closer together.”

“Cape Town is a world-class city and this direct flight positions us as an attractive entry point into the rest of the continent. The local tourism and business sectors will greatly benefit from this as it allows us to showcase the diverse services and experiences that the city offers visitors from the United States. On behalf of the City of Cape Town, I thank United Airlines for implementing this new route and the work done by our Air Access team aimed at boosting tourism and investment opportunities,” said Cape Town executive mayor, Dan Plato.