Minister Patricia de Lille welcomes increased flights to South Africa by United Airlines

On behalf of the entire tourism sector, we welcome the recent announcement by United Airlines that it will be increasing its flights to South Africa.

United Airlines recently announced that it will be expanding its African network by introducing a new long-haul service from Washington Dulles Airport to Cape Town International Airport. This route was launched in November 2022, operating three times a week and has been hugely successful.

United Airlines’ second African route, linking Newark with Johannesburg, operates daily since June 2021 and this route will also be expanded by the airline.

In 2024, arrivals from the United States of America stood at over 430,000, up by more than 21,000 or 5.2% compared to 2023. A further testament to the impact of direct flights on arrivals is that in 2023, arrivals from the USA stood at over 409,000, an increase of more than 111,000 or 37.4% compared to 2022, when direct flights between South Africa and the USA were introduced.

“We welcome this development and announcement by United Airlines to increase the number of flights between South Africa and the USA as the route has been in high demand and has made travel significantly more seamless between the two countries. Airlift is a crucial factor for the tourism sector as direct flights make travel between destinations more desirable and is proven to increase tourism arrivals between countries. We are excited about this development and look forward to the positive impact it will have on arrivals to South Africa,” Minister de Lille said.

The USA is one of South Africa’s top source markets and we will continue efforts to grow arrivals even more from the USA to South Africa.

Media queries:
Zara Nicholson
Cell: 079 416 5996
E-mail: znicholson@tourism.gov.za

Enquiries:
Ms. Sindi Zwane
Deputy Director: Media liaison and Electronic Communications
Tel: 012 444 6612
Cell: 081 267 4665
E-mail: szwane@tourism.gov.za

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