Cape Town International Airport, which has won the annual Airports Council award for the best airport in Africa, has doubled its former capacity and is eager to have it filled, according to its general manager, Deon Cloete. So far it has 13 international airlines, including SAA, although our national carrier’s only destination served from here is London; two regional and seven domestic airlines with an eighth domestic airline, the newly launched Velvet Sky, about to start. Cloete says there are a number of international airlines considering coming here but he would not name them at this stage.
Pointing out that “airlines follow passenger numbers”, he said the growing interest in Cape Town as a tourism destination and success in extending our tourism season were the main factors that would attract more flights. Meanwhile the doubling of Emirates flights to two a day, bringing passengers from all over the world at the start of what is normally our low season, was particularly welcome.
Entering the airport on the ground floor now is like arriving at an upmarket shopping mall, with the shops open for longer hours than normal, and a choice of restaurants and coffee bars. Pointing out that there are many places from which visitors can watch the aircraft landing and taking off, Cloete said the general public, and not only those travelling or seeing passengers off, are welcome.
London is still the destination most heavily served from here, with British Airways (BA) and SAA offering direct flights all year round and Virgin Atlantic here in the summer season. Although we have a choice of flying directly from Johannesburg to New York, Washington or Atlanta, with SAA or US airline Delta, or indirectly from Cape Town to a variety of American cities by way of the Middle East, continental Europe or Turkey, many still go by way via Heathrow.
One of the first benefits of the merger of BA and Spanish airline Iberia and the closer co-operation between them and American Airlines is improved timing for trans-Atlantic flights from Heathrow. From this week these will be more frequent, with BA and American Airlines providing what they describe as practically a shuttle service between Heathrow and the most popular US destinations. Until now five of the 11 daily flights to New York from Heathrow left at almost the same time. But now BA or American Airlines flights to New York will leave Heathrow every hour between 1pm and 8pm, and there will be a maximum wait of only an hour-and-a-half between morning departures.
Two of the three flights to Miami (a popular destination for South Africans) from Heathrow used to leave at about 10am but now one will be at 10am and the other at 11am. And four of the flights from Chicago to London that previously left at similar times between 5pm and 8pm will now be evenly spaced with an hour between each departure, although the 9pm and 9.45pm will remain at those times. BA will fly daily from Heathrow to San Diego from June 1 and from Gatwick to Cancun three times a week from this week.
Iberia is launching three flights a week between Madrid and Los Angeles from March 28 and between Barcelona and Miami from March 29.
The airline industry is doing more than many others to limit its contribution to global warming. In addition to developing aircraft using less fuel, it is experimenting with new, less polluting types of fuel, and shortening routes as much as possible. Iberia is currently taking part in tests during normal flights to improve the efficiency of North Atlantic air space between Europe and North America, making use of improved communications enabling it to modify flight plans after take-off, taking weather conditions into account. It is making the best use of favourable winds and is also using continuous descent approaches to airports at lower engine speeds, cutting fuel consumption and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide.
US aircraft manufacturer Boeing will receive an energy star award from the US Environmental Protection Agency for its ongoing commitment to fuel conservation and cutting harmful emissions. Between 2002 and last year it has reduced energy consumption by 30 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 28 percent. A spokesperson said this was equivalent to saving enough energy to power 54 168 average homes in the US for a year.
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