United Airlines Will Kick-off Flights to Cape Town from Washington Dulles Later this Year

United Airlines will become the first carrier to fly nonstop roundtrip from Washington D.C. to South Africa when it kicks off service between Washington Dulles and Cape Town in November.

Starting on November 17, subject to approval from the South Africa Government, United will fly from D.C. to Cape Town thrice weekly. From D.C., the home to one of the largest South African-born populations in the U.S., United will offer connections to 55 other U.S. cities.

With the additions, United, which already has service from New York/Newark to Cape Town year-round, will offer a total of 19 weekly flights between the U.S. and Africa. It will also be the first airline to offer direct service from D.C. to South Africa.

"We are thrilled to further expand our Africa offering with this first-ever direct link between Washington DC and Cape Town," said Patrick Quayle, United's Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances.

"These new flights build upon our existing year-round New York/Newark to Cape Town service – together they'll provide a near-daily pattern from the U.S. to Cape Town along with connectivity to the broader region through our Airlink partnership." 

The new service will fly on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which includes 48 of United’s Polaris business class seats and 21 United Premium Plus seats. All seats will have seatback on-demand entertainment.

Domestically, United recently added 120 flights for the fall’s college football season, specifically built around some of the U.S.’s biggest college football markets.