November 2, 07:32Getaway

British Airways increases flights between London and Cape Town

British Airways announces an expansion of flights between London and Cape Town, offering travelers more options when planning trips between the UK and South Africa.

According to travelnews,africa, starting from March 28, 2027, the airline will increase weekly flights between London Heathrow Airport and Cape Town International Airport from seven to ten. These additional services are part of British Airways' schedule for the Northern Summer 2027 and are expected to provide greater flexibility for both business and leisure passengers.

This announcement follows the airline's plans to increase capacity on the London to Cape Town route. Since December 2026, British Airways intends to operate three daily flights between London Heathrow and Cape Town during the Southern Summer season of 2026/27.

These extra flights should also provide more convenient options for connecting flights through London Heathrow. Passengers traveling further from the UK will have more departure choices when organizing onward journeys to Europe, North America, and other international destinations. This can simplify the coordination of connecting flights and reduce the need to plan trips around limited flight schedules.

For South Africa's tourism industry, the increase in air transport is another positive development. More direct links between major international markets and Cape Town may boost inbound tourism, making it easier for international guests to explore the city and other areas in the Western Cape.

British Airways' expanded schedule will affect the route between London Heathrow (LHR) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT). Starting in December 2026, the airline plans to operate three daily flights on this route during the southern summer. And from March 28, 2027, weekly flights will increase from seven to ten as part of the northern summer schedule.

Travelers planning trips between South Africa and the UK are advised to check the British Airways booking platform for available departure dates, flight times, and fares, as the schedule may change depending on the travel period.

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www.khaleejtimes.comOctober 25, 09:10

International flights at King Khalid Airport in Saudi Arabia will start operating from Terminal 2

King Khalid Airport in Saudi Arabia has announced that international flights will operate through Terminal 2, while domestic flights will be based in Terminal 1. This change will take effect on October 25, according to an official statement.

Authorities advised passengers with confirmed bookings to continue contacting their airlines to check flight status before arriving at the airport.

Previously, on October 10, the Riyadh airport suspended operations following a deadly attack that killed 13 people and injured at least 300. The next day, October 11, another attack on the airport resulted in one death.

Houthi militants from Yemen claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Saudi airports, prompting the Saudi-led military coalition to vow retaliatory measures.

Following the incidents on October 10 and 11, the injured were immediately transported to various hospitals for medical care. Authorities were assessing the damage and confirming the safety of the facilities in coordination with relevant bodies.

In the weeks following the attacks, numerous flights to the Saudi capital were canceled. Etihad Airways, the UAE's flagship carrier, announced the cancellation of all flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam, as well as between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, until November 5. Additionally, the airline added the cancellation of some flights from Abu Dhabi to Jeddah.

The UAE-based carrier flydubai announced the cancellation of flights to Abha, Dammam, and Riyadh until October 29 inclusive.

Among those killed in the October 10 attack were 4 Saudi citizens and 9 residents of the following nationalities: 2 Bangladeshis, 1 Indian, an American, 1 Egyptian, 1 Jordanian, 1 Syrian, 1 Palestinian, and 1 Sudanese citizen. In the October 11 attack, a resident of Pakistan died.

iol.co.zaOctober 19, 15:56

Cape Town–Johannesburg route surpasses New York–Los Angeles in passenger traffic in 2025

The Cape Town to Johannesburg route became the busiest air connection in Africa in 2025, transporting 3.4 million passengers. This figure significantly exceeded the number of passengers on the New York–Los Angeles route in the United States.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) report 'Global Air Transport Statistics for 2025,' which analyzes differences in passenger flow between major domestic air routes worldwide, this superiority of the African direction was established.

The busiest route in South Africa connects two key economic and tourism centers of the country. Nevertheless, it remains smaller in scale than leading global domestic air routes, especially in Asia, where passenger flows are substantially higher.

Leaders of Global Air Transport

In 2025, the busiest airport connection globally was the Jeju–Seoul Gimpo line from South Korea, which accommodated 13.3 million passengers. All ten most popular airport pairs worldwide were domestic routes: nine of them were located in the Asia-Pacific region, and the remaining connection linked Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

As noted in the report, 'The Asia-Pacific region dominated the ranking of the world's busiest airport pairs, with the route between Jeju International Airport and Seoul Gimpo International Airport (CJU-GMP) remaining the most popular globally, with 13.3 million passengers traveling between these two airports.'

In Latin America, the busiest route was between Bogota and Medellin in Colombia, serving 3.5 million passengers. The busiest connection in Europe was between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca in Spain, recording 2.1 million passengers.

United States Remains the Largest Passenger Transport Market

The report also ranked countries based on the total number of passengers. The United States maintained its status as the world's largest passenger transport market, registering 890.1 million arriving and departing passengers in 2025. This represents a growth of 1.6% compared to the previous year.

However, despite its status, the US showed the slowest growth rate among the ten largest markets in the world, showing an increase of only 1.6% year-on-year compared to 2024. China took second place as the largest passenger transport market with 776.1 million passengers in 2025, an increase of 4.8% relative to 2024.

China ranked second with 776.1 million passengers, increasing by 4.8% compared to 2024. The UK ranked third with 269.7 million passengers, showing a growth of 3.4%, and Spain recorded 252.7 million passengers, corresponding to an increase of 5%.