Delta Air Lines has applied to the DOT to operate flights to Cape Town. Delta planned to serve Cape Town last year, but the route wasn't approved. It is a bit different this time.

The basics of Delta’s Cape Town service plans

As of November 18, 2022, Delta would like to launch a 3x weekly nonstop flight between Atlanta and Cape Town. The route would operate with the following schedule if approved.

The Atlanta to Cape Town flight is departing at 8:45PM.

The Cape Town to Atlanta flight is departing at 9:00PM.

A total of 306 seats would be used on the 8,130 mile flight. Business class seats include 32, premium economy seats include 48, and economy seats include 226. Delta wants flexibility to reduce capacity during off-peak periods as needed, though it is requesting to operate the flight year-round.

This will complement Delta's existing Atlanta to South Africa flight. Delta wants the flexibility to possibly operate an Atlanta to Cape Town to Atlanta triangle route. Delta wants some flexibility here, as they want the flight to be nonstop in both directions and complement the existing service.

The first US airline to serve Cape Town was Delta. The airline just recently announced that the Newark to Cape Town flight will be year-round as of June 2022.

Delta’s Airbus A350 premium economy cabin

This is Delta’s second attempt to serve Cape Town

The idea of Delta launching flights to Cape Town sounds familiar. Delta plans to operate a triangle route to Cape Town.

  • Delta had always flown its Boeing 777s between Atlanta and Johannesburg, but the airline retired 777s due to the pandemic
  • Delta’s other longest range aircraft is the A350, and flying nonstop from Johannesburg to Atlanta posed a challenge, both due to the distance and the altitude of Johannesburg airport (high altitude airports limit takeoff capabilities)
  • As a result, Delta proposed operating an Atlanta to Johannesburg to Cape Town to Atlanta triangle flight, which would allow the airline to serve two markets in South Africa, while also solving the performance issues (Cape Town to Atlanta is a bit shorter, and Cape Town is also at a much lower altitude)
  • This request ended up being rejected by South African aviation regulators, who argued that the aviation agreement between the two countries “does not confer domestic coterminalization rights for designated airlines of both countries”

Delta is giving Cape Town another chance. Delta thinks it can make Cape Town work as an independent route, and maybe the airline is hoping that regulators in South Africa will approve a triangle route as well. I see no reason the route wouldn't be approved if Delta were to operate the flight nonstop.

This is Delta’s second time trying to fly to Cape Town

Bottom line

A nonstop flight between Atlanta and Cape Town is planned for November 2022. This would compete with United's Newark to Cape Town service, which will be year-round as well.

This route is likely to be approved, so I hope Delta actually launches this service. It will be great to be able to fly from the United States to Cape Town on two airlines.

What do you think about Delta's planned Atlanta to Cape Town flight?

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