China flights to CPT? Not yet...

INDUSTRY rumours that
Air China is planning
direct flights from Beijing
to Cape Town have been
quashed by the Department
of Transport, which has
confirmed the airline has
not formally applied to fly to
the Mother City.
However, Keith Gow, md
of Gateway Travel and Tours
assured TNW that Air China
was planning to fly to Cape
Town but the plans had not
yet been finalised.
“The rumours began
when Air China said it was
planning to fly to Cape
Town because the type of
equipment used on the
Johannesburg-Beijing route
– a 14-hour flight – was not
conducive to the altitude
of OR Tambo International
Airport, which is 1 680m
metres above sea level,”
Keith says. Johannesburg’s
hot and high conditions
make it difficult for Air
China’s aircraft to uplift
a full load of fuel, and
this could restrict the
numbers of passengers and
freight during the daytime
departures, he says.
To overcome this, Air
China would need to
depart in the early morning
around sunrise, or later
in the evenings when
temperatures have cooled
down – which does not suit
aircraft scheduling, says
Keith.
“The conditions for these
aircraft are better at sea
level, which allow aircraft
to uplift a full fuel and
passenger load, thus it may
be through a twist of events
that Cape Town gets the
direct flight to Beijing,” Keith
says.
Air China did not respond
to requests for comment by
the time of publishing.