WESTERN CAPE. – South Africans with family and friends in Australia will have a new travel option from October 2027 when Qantas begins operating three weekly direct seasonal flights between Sydney and Cape Town. The first flight departs on 19 October 2027 and the journey will take approximately 14 hours and 25 minutes.
Cam Wallace, Qantas international executive manager, says there is strong interest among Australian travellers to visit Cape Town. The new route will offer passengers currently travelling through Johannesburg a direct alternative. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flights will depart on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays and will run until 24 March 2028.
According to Qantas, the service will make available almost 30,000 additional seats between Australia and South Africa. More than 120,000 Australians visited South Africa in 2025, while almost 225,000 South African-born people currently live in Australia. Approximately a quarter of them live in New South Wales.
Wrenelle Stander, executive head of Wesgro, welcomes the announcement and says the direct connection can promote tourism, trade, investment and job creation in the Western Cape. The new route follows 75 years since Qantas began its first scheduled passenger service to South Africa.
Return flight tickets in economy class are offered according to Qantas's announcements from AU$2,470 in Australia and R20,499 in South Africa. Prices are subject to availability and the service to regulatory approval.
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This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
