British Airways is to increase capacity on its Heathrow-Cape Town route from May 2014.
The airline will add three extra flights per week to its schedule for the southern hemisphere winter season (from May to October) taking flights up to 10 per week.
The move comes after rival South African Airways decided to axe its Heathrow-Cape Town service in August 2012 “due to a lack of demand”.
BA is currently operating a double-daily service between the two cities during the busy October to May summer season in South Africa.
This will halve to a daily service from March until May 1, when BA will add three extra flights using a Boeing 777-200ERs to its Cape Town schedule – representing an extra 657 seats per week.
The additional aircraft will be deployed overnight, leaving Heathrow on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and departing Cape Town on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Gavin Halliday, BA's general manager for Africa and Europe, said: “Operating year-round builds confidence in the route, not only among inbound tourists and business travellers, but also local customers wanting to visit London or travel onwards to the rest of our network.
“The fact that we are now able to bolster our winter schedule is testimony to this and the tremendous job which has been done to market Cape Town as a year-round destination as well as a business hub.”
ba.com