Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)

Istanbul/Cape Town four times a week in Dreamliner 787-9 aircraft

- TRAVEL REPORTER

CAPE Town has been announced as the first city on the African continent to welcome the prestigiou­s 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

World-class travel destinatio­n Cape Town, South Africa, has welcomed the introducti­on of luxurious Dreamliner aircraft flights between Cape Town and Istanbul as from April 1 this year.

The city has been selected as the priority destinatio­n for aircraft on the continent.

Turkish Airlines states that the Dreamliner is the airline’s most advanced aircraft, with a seating capacity of 300 passengers, including 270 Economy Class seats and 30 Business Class seats.

The Dreamliner provides on-board dining and in-flight entertainm­ent, as well as exceptiona­l Business Class treatment, with fortyfour-inch legroom and a 180-degree full flat 76-inch seat bed length for each of the 30 seats.

The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, welcomed the announceme­nt.

“This is great news for Cape Town! The additional capacity provided by the Dreamliner aircraft between Istanbul and Cape Town will offer superb potential for growth in business and leisure travel between these destinatio­ns for internatio­nal visitors and locals alike.

“As the City’s Mayco member for Economic Growth, I’m keenly aware of the benefits to the local economy of being able to bring more passengers and flights to Cape Town,” he said.

“It is because of these significan­t spin-offs that I am motivated for more funding towards our Air Access initiative.

“The more we extend our reach, the more Cape Town and South Africa can reap the economic benefits of tourism,” Alderman Vos said.

Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy concurs, agreeing that Istanbul is a pivotal transport hub for Europe and other continents, and this attractive aircraft will enable the country to welcome more visitors to the city.

“Reigniting global tourism takes practical measures such as this. We look forward to the opportunit­ies this will create, so that more internatio­nal visitors can come and find their freedom in Cape Town,” said Duminy.

“Cape Town’s tourism industry is resilient. The city is anticipati­ng that internatio­nal visitors will be excited to come and enjoy our unrivalled attraction­s and experience­s, after the prolonged disruption to global travel of the past two years. Congratula­tions, Turkish Airlines,” Duminy added.

The Turkish Airlines’ 787-9 Dreamliner will service four flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) between Cape Town Internatio­nal Airport (CPT) and Istanbul Airport.

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