Delta Airlines, based in the United States, has finally been approved by South Africa’s government to fly between Atlanta and Cape Town — via Johannesburg. This news comes after a year-long standoff that started in 2020. Meanwhile, South Africa’s department of transport claims they were unaware of this news.
Since international travel is in the recovery mode due to the lifting of the COVID restrictions, airlines are looking for new routes. Cape Town is one such tourist travel destination sought by competing carriers in the US.
The airlines’ flights to Johannesburg were re-established after the documents suggested by the United States Department of Transportation were made public just before the flights were restored. The airlines were also forced to abandon their offer after it reached a dead end. All of this was attributed to South Africa’s refusal to alter the airline’s Foreign Operator’s Permit. In turn, the US Department of Transportation canceled the South African Airways (SAA).
Back in February, Delta Airlines filed a fresh proposal for nonstop flights to and fro from Atlanta and Cape Town. Fast forward to 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration accepted Delta Air Lines’ proposal to operate in the triangle route. This will be from Atlanta, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.
In a statement, David Maynier, the provincial minister of finance and economic opportunities said, “We will continue to work hard to expand ‘air access because more flights mean more tourists, who in turn mean more jobs in the Western Cape.”