01-03-2017
Cape Town Air Access congratulates Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA), Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) on reaching the 10 million passenger per annum mark for the first time in 2016, a passenger traffic increase of 16% from 2015.
Cape Town Air Access is a partnership, based at Wesgro, which includes the Western Cape Government, the City of Cape Town, Cape Town Tourism and Airports Company South Africa, and is the focal point for international air route development in the Western Cape. The partnership was awarded the World Routes Cape Town 2016 Marketing Award for Africa.
Since its inception in 2015 Cape Town Air Access has landed seven new routes and facilitated ten route expansions for the Cape. This has increased CTIA's capacity by over 600 000 seats, which is 15% of its current total capacity, and generated over R3 billion in tourism spend for the Western Cape.
This increased air access made a significant impact on jobs and growth. Three thousand jobs are supported by each regularly scheduled long-haul flight, and for every 10% increase in passenger numbers the regional economy grows by 2%. These figures illustrate the value of improved air connectivity.
Currently The United Kingdom, Germany and United States of America are CITA’s top destinations respectively, but we have secured a number of routes throughout Africa recently that will bolster Cape tourism, trade and investment on the continent.
Last month we announced the launch of a new direct flight to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and the expansion of the existing service to Luanda, Angola to a daily flight. The new route to Victoria Falls will be operated by Kenya Airways and will launch on 18 May 2017 and provide weekly flights via the airline’s Embraer E190 every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. TAAG Angola Airlines’ flight to Luanda will also expand to a daily service on 30 October 2017.
“CTIA is a critical gateway for the continuing growth of domestic and international tourism to the Western Cape and we have seen solid passenger volume growth over the past few years. Passing the 10 million passenger mark is a significant milestone for the region. At the airport our focus will be on ensuring that we are able to efficiently respond to all of the complexities that this growth brings,” said Deon Cloete, General Manager: Cape Town International Airport.
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said: “The Western Cape is now well established as a tourist and investment destination. Our Tourism sector continues to show significant potential. International arrivals are up by almost 16% year-on-year. We congratulate the team involved and look forward to exploring future opportunities for the province. ”
“Improved air connectivity is a tool of social and economic progress – connecting us to global markets, enabling trade and tourism, exposing us to new cultures, countries and people, helps businesses operate more efficiently and attract high-quality diverse talent – it is metaphorically and literally is our ticket to participate in the worldwide economy. For the City of Cape Town, we especially want to zone into the opportunities with African destinations like Kenya and Ethiopia. As a local government, we have taken a decision to grow business opportunities between ourselves and these two countries,” said City of Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille.
“The Cape Town Air Access initiative has made significant progress in improving access for strategic markets to travel to our destination. Cape Town Air Access is an excellent example of the value of partnerships between the public and private sectors. As one of Africa’s most award-winning airports, Cape Town International Airport is also playing a crucial role in connecting our region to the world. Their planned significant investment into the expansion of international and domestic terminals means we are well-equipped to welcome the increasing number of visitors to our region, as the brand of Cape Town continues to grow. It is our goal to add 100 000 additional jobs to the Cape's tourism sector through our Project Khulisa growth strategy, and we believe that Cape Town Air Access is vital in helping us reach this goal,” added Western Cape Minster of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde.
“Cape Town Air Access is a successful model of how Wesgro can serve as a platform to unite stakeholders and drive growth in the Cape. We have a number of new direct routes lined up for 2017 and will be announcing them in due course,” concluded Wesgro CEO Tim Harris.