Cape Town Air Access, the Western Cape’s multi-agency route development initiative, has received a major boost with premier hotel group, Tsogo Sun, signing up as private-sector partner. This was announced by Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, at an event in Cape Town on Wednesday, February 28, to celebrate Cape Town Air Access’s achievements.

Since its establishment in July 2015, the work of Cape Town Air Access has resulted in an estimated direct tourism spend of R4.8bn (€331m) with the launch of 13 new routes and the expansion of 14 existing ones. Some 800 000 more inbound seats have been added to Cape Town International Airport’s international network. Since January alone, 106 000 inbound seats have been added on three new airlines, four new destinations and six route expansions. Cape Town International Airport received a record 10.7m passengers in 2017, a total growth of 6% and a 20% increase in international arrivals, totalling 2.4m passengers.

Western Cape Economic Opportunities MEC, Alan Winde, says Cape Town Air Access has made “a massive difference to the economy of the Western Cape” as it has become the driver for economic growth, investment and job creation.  While the current drought has resulted in the loss of 57 000 agricultural jobs, the airlift strategy has created 92 000 new jobs, a 14% growth in the economy in the last quarter and an unemployment rate that has dropped to below 20%.

The reason for Cape Town Air Access’s success is that it “effectively and seamlessly integrates the interests of its public and private partners”, comments airline consultant and former Star Alliance VP, Christian Klick, who acts as an informal adviser to the project. “As a result, it represents a straightforward and highly effective single point of contact for interested airlines,” he says.

Apart from Tsogo Sun, other private sector partners include Naspers, Investec and the Leeu Collection of hotels. Public-sector partners include the Western Cape government, Cape Town City, Airports Company SA, Cape Town Tourism and South African Tourism. 

Cape Town Air Access Project Manager, David King, says the private sector matches the funding from the public sector, which contributes about R6m (€414 000) annually. Of this, the City of Cape Town contributes more than R1m (€69 000) annually, according to Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille. King says the public budget is only used for operational expenses. He says the private sector contributions are made for two years, ring-fenced in a fund and used expressly for indirect marketing support to incentivise airlines to serve Cape Town.

Harris says Cape Town Air Access’s next focal point is to secure direct air routes to North America, which remains unserved from Cape Town despite a 7% spike in US arrivals expected over the next eight months. He says its biggest recent feats have been to clinch a non-stop link to Harare with RwandAir (which has received Fifth Freedom rights to fly Kigali-Harare-Cape Town four times weekly year-round from May 16) and a non-stop link to Asia Pacific with Cathay Pacific introducing three seasonal weekly A350-900 flights on November 13.

Other new routes launching this year include:

• June 18: Kenya Airways – Nairobi-Cape Town, three non-stop flights year-round using a B737-800
• October 27: Austrian Airlines – Vienna-Cape Town – two non-stop seasonal flights weekly using a B777-200