Shanna Jacobsen and Kimberley Kersten
Norse Atlantic Airways has launched a new route between Cape Town and London, the first official African route since the carrier started flying in 2022.
“We are thrilled to introduce our new route between London and Cape Town. By breaking the duopoly on this route, we are not only expanding travel options for consumers but also driving down costs and putting the customer back in the pilot’s seat,” said Bjorn Tore Larsen, CEO and Founder of Norse Atlantic Airways.
Paul van den Brink spoke to Travel News and revealed that the Cape Town Air Access project, which Wesgro is driving and where he is the Aviation Liaison, has been extensively involved in the discussions bringing the route between Cape Town and London Gatwick to fruition.
“For us, it’s very exciting news as it provides an affordable option for travellers between Cape Town and the UK”, he said.
Norwegian Air sold its long-haul assets to Norse Atlantic Airways in 2021. More recently, the airline obtained an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the UK government allowing it to fly from London under the renegotiated bilateral agreement between the UK and South Africa. Although this took some time, the issue has now been resolved allowing the airline to begin operating a CPT route, explained Van den Brink.
Norse’s service between Cape Town and London will operate three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Flight Z0796 will depart from Cape Town International Airport at 11h45 and arrive at London Gatwick at 21h35 the same day. Return flight Z0795 will depart London Gatwick at 20h00 and arrive in Cape Town at 09h30 the following day.
The route is already available for online bookings and will begin operating later this year, starting on October 28.
At this stage, flights are not offered through the GDS or NDC, and the airline’s current focus is on direct sales, Philip Allport, Senior Vice-President of Communications at Norse, told Travel News.
But Norse Atlantic is keen on engaging with South African travel agents.
“The airline is talking to agents locally (in South Africa). Working with the trade is 100% of interest to us,” he said.
