Cape Town – As tourism tries to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, a direct flight connection to South America has been established.
SAA has announced the direct, non-stop flight connection between Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) and São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in São Paulo, Brazil.
According to Airports Company SA (Acsa), SAA will fly to São Paulo four times a week, twice out of CTIA and twice out of OR Tambo International Airport
Bookings opened for sale on 29 June 2023, with launch flights scheduled out of Cape Town on 31 October and out of Joburg on 6 November 2023.
“We are excited to be of service to SAA on the routes between our two international airports and São Paulo. We are dedicated to providing SAA and its passengers memorable airport experience, through our world-class facilities,” said Acsa CEO Mpumi Mpofu.
São Paulo is Brazil’s most populous city and is also the South American country’s financial centre and one of the biggest financial hubs in the world.
Spokesperson for the Cape Town Air Access initiative, Wrenelle Stander, welcomed the latest flight connection.
“A direct, non-stop connection will significantly boost the recovery of Latin American traffic to Cape Town, which stood at only 23% in 2022 compared to 2019 passenger volumes.
“Cape Town is perfectly positioned to serve as a connecting hub between Asia and South America, the direct route will be the shortest one available to date,” said Stander.
Cape Town exports to Brazil reached more than R490 million in 2022 and the introduction of the direct route was anticipated to lead to a substantial increase in cargo volumes as well.
MEC of Finance and Economic Opportunities Mireille Wenger, said: “The benefits of the new route will help strengthen the economic ties between the Western Cape and Brazil and also open up immense opportunities for enhanced trade, tourism, and investment between our two regions.”
The City’s Mayco member for economic growth, James Vos extended a warm hand of welcome towards visitors from Brazil.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors from São Paulo to experience the beauty, vibrancy, and warmth of our city,” said Vos.
Figures released by the Provincial Department of Economic Opportunities showed that international two-way passengers through CTIA between January and May 2023 recovered to 105 % more compared to 2019.
Over 2.7 million domestic two-way passengers were also recorded during the same period.
In May 2023 alone Cape Town recorded a total of 46,966 tourist arrivals via air, 86% of which were from overseas markets and 14% from the African continent.