International seat capacity by air to Cape Town is expected to exceed one million in the 2023/24 peak summer season – a new record for the Cape Town Air Access project. In just eight years – three of which were heavily impacted by COVID – the project has resulted in the doubling of international airline seat capacity into Cape Town International Airport.

Contributing to an estimated 25% year-on-year growth in seat capacity is the addition of seven new airlines and seven new routes to the CPT schedule over the past year. 

“The competition to attract airlines globally is intense,” says Wrenelle Stander, CEO of Wesgro. However, the work done to increase connectivity means that Cape Town now sees 217 international flights per week, operated by 27 airlines to 31 destinations.

With the one million inbound seats mark in sight, she says: “We are no longer talking recovery, we are talking growth.”

Among the seven new routes is the addition of the twice-weekly South African Airways Cape Town-São Paulo route, which kicks off on October 31.

Originally born out of a crisis when both SAA and Virgin Atlantic decided to halt flights to Cape Town in 2015, the Cape Town Air Access project has become what Deputy Director General of the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Rashid Toefy, calls one of the single most successful projects undertaken by the province.

One of the project’s early goals was increasing connectivity with the Americas, which was grossly underserved, with no direct flights between the Mother City and North America. São Paulo becomes the fourth destination there to be added for Cape Town, joining Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta and United Airlines’ Washington DC and New York routes.

Growing Africa connectivity

Another key focus area has been growing connectivity across the African continent. From just five connections between Cape Town and the rest of the continent, the Air Access team has added seven new airlines and ten new continental destinations, including Addis Ababa, Harare, Kigali, Lusaka and Nairobi.

Wesgro’s data shows that African seat capacity recorded a compound aggregate growth rate of 10% per year between 2015 and 2023, reaching 555 000 inbound seats.

Mozambique’s LAM Airlines is the latest carrier to announce connections with Cape Town, with its new three times weekly route between Maputo and Cape Town set to commence on October 15.

“One of our key focus areas is on increasing our air connectivity to the rest of the African continent. Not only do these flights boost tourism but they also provide great opportunities to export proudly Western Cape product via air cargo, as well as easier access for business travel, which can boost investment into the province,” says Western Cape Minister for Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger.

Targeting new destinations

While the European and Middle-Eastern markets are well serviced, Cape Town Air Access Aviation Liaison Paul van den Brink, says: “West Africa, North Africa, Asia and Australia are on our wish list for the next few years.”

It is on these markets that the Air Access team will have their sights set when they head off to Turkey next month for Routes World 2023.