Gunship
8th Feb 2003, 07:45
With the demand for air tickets to Cape Town growing each year, British Airways (BA) is to increase the number of seats from London over the Easter period.
Also, BA and Virgin Atlantic are to seek permission to increase the number of flights from London when British and South African government and airline representatives meet in Pretoria on February 11 and 12 to discuss air services between the two countries.
To meet the unprecedented demand for Easter, BA is to provide more than three thousand extra seats by extending into April its daily Boeing 747-400 flight, which has 131 more seats than the Boeing 777 used last year.
Last year, BA flew Boeing 777s on the route from the beginning of April until September.
'We said we would increase capacity to meet demand'
"You can't develop year-round tourism if you don't have year-round flights," said Charles Forsyth, BA's general manager for Southern Africa.
"That's why we introduced the off-peak Boeing 777 service two years ago.
"It enabled us to maintain our daily Cape Town schedule, making us one of the few airlines to do so.
"But we always said we would increase capacity to meet demand and we are delighted to provide the additional seats and support all the work that the regional and national tourism organisations have done to extend the peak period."
The findings of a BA poll of three major United Kingdom tour operators - Carrier, Elegant Resorts and ITC Classics - suggest that the tourism boom will continue.
'We had to turn thousands of passengers away this summer'
One of the operators reported that bookings were more than 50 percent up over the same period last year and all three confirmed the need for more flights to meet the greater demand.
At the beginning of summer, BA introduced three more Boeing 747 flights, offering 1 200 more seats a week on the Cape Town route, to meet growing demand.
"We have still had to turn thousands of passengers away this summer," said Forsyth.
Later this year, Virgin Atlantic is to begin using its new Airbus A340-600 - which has more seats - on its Johannesburg route.
The airline would also put its case to increase its flights when its representatives met members of the British and South African governments early next week, Virgin Atlantic spokesperson Tracey Meaker confirmed.
Virgin Atlantic wants to have six more direct flights a week throughout the year between London and Cape Town and to increase those between London and Johannesburg from seven to 10 a week from October.
The airline has two flights a week between London and Cape Town.
British Airways has two flights a day from London to Johannesburg.
The airline has had 10 flights a week to Cape Town since October, but it is to revert to one flight a day on March 28.
Also, BA and Virgin Atlantic are to seek permission to increase the number of flights from London when British and South African government and airline representatives meet in Pretoria on February 11 and 12 to discuss air services between the two countries.
To meet the unprecedented demand for Easter, BA is to provide more than three thousand extra seats by extending into April its daily Boeing 747-400 flight, which has 131 more seats than the Boeing 777 used last year.
Last year, BA flew Boeing 777s on the route from the beginning of April until September.
'We said we would increase capacity to meet demand'
"You can't develop year-round tourism if you don't have year-round flights," said Charles Forsyth, BA's general manager for Southern Africa.
"That's why we introduced the off-peak Boeing 777 service two years ago.
"It enabled us to maintain our daily Cape Town schedule, making us one of the few airlines to do so.
"But we always said we would increase capacity to meet demand and we are delighted to provide the additional seats and support all the work that the regional and national tourism organisations have done to extend the peak period."
The findings of a BA poll of three major United Kingdom tour operators - Carrier, Elegant Resorts and ITC Classics - suggest that the tourism boom will continue.
'We had to turn thousands of passengers away this summer'
One of the operators reported that bookings were more than 50 percent up over the same period last year and all three confirmed the need for more flights to meet the greater demand.
At the beginning of summer, BA introduced three more Boeing 747 flights, offering 1 200 more seats a week on the Cape Town route, to meet growing demand.
"We have still had to turn thousands of passengers away this summer," said Forsyth.
Later this year, Virgin Atlantic is to begin using its new Airbus A340-600 - which has more seats - on its Johannesburg route.
The airline would also put its case to increase its flights when its representatives met members of the British and South African governments early next week, Virgin Atlantic spokesperson Tracey Meaker confirmed.
Virgin Atlantic wants to have six more direct flights a week throughout the year between London and Cape Town and to increase those between London and Johannesburg from seven to 10 a week from October.
The airline has two flights a week between London and Cape Town.
British Airways has two flights a day from London to Johannesburg.
The airline has had 10 flights a week to Cape Town since October, but it is to revert to one flight a day on March 28.