| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 04/09/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 4 |
| Copyright: Other |
Virgin adds second weekly flight to Cape Town
VIRGIN Atlantic is introducing a second weekly flight from London to Cape Town for this winter.The service will start on October 29 and will operate from Heathrow using an Airbus A340.
Chairman Richard Branson said:”By offering an extra frequency, Virgin can compete more effectively with our rivals on this route.
“Cape Town is an important route for Virgin Atlantic with a huge tourist market and an increasingly significant business traffic.
“Ultimately we would love to operate a daily service to Cape Town and we are hoping to gain extra frequencies next year.”
Virgin’s current weekly service departs fromHeathrow on Fridays at 5.05pm. From October 29, this service and the new Sunday service will depart at 5pm and will arrive in Cape Town at 6am the following day.
The flights will depart Cape Town on Saturday and Monday respectively at 8.20am, arriving in Heathrow at 7.35pm.
In a separate move, Virgin is adding 300 additional seats on its Johannesburg service by using a Boeing 747-400 aircraft on Sunday and Friday flights from London. On the remaining days of the week, the route will continue to be operated using an Airbus A340.
Meanwhile, Virgin has ordered two new Boeing 747-400 aircraft to be delivered in October and December next year.
Prime:Cape Town is an important route for Virgin due to its high tourist numbers