After three years away from Africa, United Airlines has confirmed that it will fly three times a week nonstop between New York and Cape Town in South Africa.
The new flight, which is still pending approval from the US Department of Transportation, will be seasonal and operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as of Dec. 15.
Configured with 252 seats (48 in corporate class, 88 in economy plus and 116 in economy), United’s jet will depart from New York at 8:30 p.m. with scheduled landing 6:00 a.m. the following day. The return from Cape Town occurs at 8:50 pm and arrives at 5:45 am in Newark.
According to United Airlines, the new non-stop flight will reduce travel time between the two cities by more than four hours.
Back to Africa
United stopped flying to the African continent in 2016. At the time, the airline flew from Houston to Lagos, the capital of Nigeria. Prior to that, between 2010 and 2012, there was a flight between Washington (DC) and Accra, Ghana.
Currently, South African and Delta fly to Johannesburgo, largest city in the country, daily from New York (JFK) and Atlanta, respectively.
