Budget airline to launch more flights to one of the world's cheapest holiday destinations
A BUDGET airline is increasing flights to an affordable holiday destination - less than a year after they first launched.
Norse Atlantic Airways started the new route from London Gatwick to Cape Town in October 2024.
3
And the huge demand for the South African route has since seen them extend the flight season as well as add more flights.
Previously offering three flights a week, this was increased to four earlier this year.
And the airline has now increased it even further, with six flights a week being launched.
And the seasonal route previously only operated until the end of April.
However the new season will operate from October 2, 2025 until May 2026.
Bård Nordhagen, Norse Chief Commercial Officer, said: "Following the success of our inaugural season we see great opportunity in the South African market.
'By expanding services, we wish to show to the trade and consumer markets we are committed to this route.'
Andrew Fish, Head of UK & South African Sales at Norse Atlantic Airways added: 'We are seeing exceptional momentum on this route, and this frequency increase reflects both customer confidence and Norse Atlantic Airlines' long-term growth strategy."
Cape Town was named the best value long-haul holiday destination in Post Office Travel Money's Long Haul Holiday Report last year.
Not only is it affordable, but don't expect any jet lag either with no time difference.
Best Value Winter Sun Long Haul Destinations
And it is a great winter sun hotspot, with highs of 27C in November and January.
The Sun's Head of Travel Caroline McGuire recently visited Cape Town with her family.
She said: "Everything in Cape Town is so accessible that we landed at 8.30am, got our hire car, checked into the hotel and were on the glorious Camps Bay beach in swimsuits by 11.30am.
"Camps Bay suburb feels like a cross between Cannes and a fancy California town, with its white sandy beach, backdrop of Table Mountain and smart restaurants lining the beachfront.
What is it like flying on Norse?
The Sun's Head of Travel Caroline McGuire recently tried the airline's Premium Economy out.
Norse doesn't do online check-in - everyone checks in at the airport. And Premium passengers are given their own lane, so we waited about five minutes before dropping off our bags and getting our tickets.
Most importantly, the chairs are very roomy. With a very decent recline that allowed my whole family to get a decent night's sleep.
My son pretty much slept uninterrupted from 10pm to 7am, while I snatched a manageable 5ish hours, which is far more than I've ever done before in Economy on a long haul flight.
Crew hand over ear plugs, eye masks, pillows and blankets at the start of the flight, as well as headphones for the TVs (you have to pay £5 for these in Economy).
Two meals are also included - I had a decent tortellini, side salad and cheesecake-type evening meal with complimentary wine, and a hot cooked breakfast, plus a croissant, yogurt and mini fruit salad.
To give you an idea of price, return fares for two adults and one child in premium economy cost £3,583 to Cape Town next March, while return fares in Premium Economy on a rival airline cost £5,000.
"Better still, the one-hour time difference meant we had no jet lag, so we could get stuck in straight away without the need to sleep it off.
"The famous mountain was the first adventure spot on our list.
"And it made for a great family day out thanks to the rotating gondolas that slowly spin to offer panoramic views on the ascent to the top. "
Norse currently offers six long-haul destinations, including Miami New York, Bangkok and Cape Town.
Here are some of the other new flights that have launched this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Abdul Samad Rabiu
Nigeria's reforms have put the country on the global economic map As my country steadies itself, Britain, its Western allies and their companies should deepen this partnership Abdul Samad Rabiu
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Nigeria's reforms have put the country on the global economic map
As ghosts of the 1930s haunt the global outlook, the scramble for trade deals has seized control of government agendas. The United States has leveraged its 'tariff war ' to secure better terms, driving both friend and foe to the negotiating table. British deals with the US and India have provided some refuge from the prevailing gloom. Less reported – but with similar potential – was last year's signing of the Enhanced and Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) between the UK and Nigeria , the former's first such agreement with an African nation. Quiet in its arrival, the pact may yet echo louder. As someone who has built multinational businesses across Africa, I know the vast opportunity the continent offers, and Nigeria in particular, which alone accounts for a fifth of sub-Saharan Africa's 1.2 billion people. But I also understand the limitations we have often placed on ourselves when it comes to securing investment. Lowering barriers to trade is crucial, and for that Britain's ETIP looks prescient. However, investment and business potential will remain discounted as long as African nations cling to state intervention – from subsidies and price controls to exchange rate distortions – all of which have consistently bred dysfunction and economic instability. Fortunately, Nigeria has now decisively turned a corner, embracing market economics under a liberalising government. In Morocco this week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy indicated Britain's position is shifting too. Setting out his strategy for Africa, he said British policy must transition from aid to investment. 'Trade-not-aid' is no new idea – but it is the first time a British government has so clearly echoed the demand the African continent has voiced for years. In making that shift, Nigeria is taking the lead for a continent to follow. So many Nigerian administrations I have known have been hostage to economic events, doubling down time and again on state intervention rather than having the conviction to reform. This administration is proving different. After two years of difficult reforms, Nigeria – under President Bola Tinubu – is now poised to fulfil the promise of its vast natural resources, rapidly growing population of over 200 million people, and strategic coastal location along the Gulf of Guinea. First, the Tinubu administration removed a crippling fuel subsidy – the most significant policy reform in years. At 25 to 30 cents per litre, petrol in Nigeria was among the cheapest in the world. But the subsidy was bankrupting the government: by 2023, it consumed over 15 per cent of the federal budget – roughly equivalent to the proportion the UK spends annually on the NHS. When President Tinubu ditched the fuel subsidy on his first day in office, criticism quickly followed. Prices, at least for the time being, have risen. However, statistics must be understood in light of the wide-ranging distortions the subsidy created. Officially, fuel consumption in Nigeria has dropped by 40 to 50 per cent. But that is not because Nigerians' petrol use reduced by this amount. In reality the country was subsidising the region, with cross border fuel smugglers profiting from arbitrage. The illegal trade was so blatant that on a visit to neighbouring Niger a few years ago, then-President Mohamed Bazoum even joked about it, thanking Nigeria for the cheap fuel. Though the move was politically unpopular, the subsidy had become unsustainable. Now, spending is being redirected toward development and infrastructure – laying the foundations for long-term growth. Second, the country has moved from a fixed to a market-determined exchange rate. Previously, only select groups could access the official rate – especially those with political connections; the rest had to rely on a more expensive parallel informal market determined by supply and demand. But selling dollars at an artificially low rate only entrenched scarcity, a problem compounded by an opaque exchange mechanism that deterred foreign investment. Every two weeks, we used to make the 12-hour drive to Abuja to seek dollar allocations for imports – camping out at the Central Bank for three or four days. Now, I no longer need to go. I've met the new Governor only once in two years – because I haven't had to. Monetary orthodoxy has finally arrived, bringing with it the liquidity that both domestic and foreign businesses depend on to smooth trade and de-risk investment. Third, the shackles of politics are being prised from business, bringing greater certainty, fairness and stability to the landscape. Five years ago, I woke up one morning to find that the port concession for a new venture of mine had been revoked. It turned out my company was outcompeting a friend of an official of the Nigerian Ports Authority. In the end, it took then-President Buhari's personal intervention to save the enterprise. Had I not been politically connected, the business would have folded – along with the 4,000 jobs it provided – at a time when job creation was, and remains, Nigeria's most urgent challenge. Today, such connections are no longer necessary. The playing field is being levelled, flattening the political ridges and dips that once skewed the game. Many of these reforms required political courage to withstand the force of criticism. Prices rose as distortions were removed, yet the administration held firm, even as vested interests co-opted public discontent for their own ends. Indeed, many of the benefits of reform are still to be felt by the wider public. But economic fundamentals must be fixed before that becomes possible. That lead-time often tempts market reformers to reverse course, or avoid reform altogether. Now that Nigeria has made it through the toughest phase, its direction should be clear to investors. For Britain, the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership with Nigeria was a strategic bet on reform, resilience and long-term reward. Nigeria is now delivering its part of the bargain. As my country steadies itself, the UK, its Western allies – and their companies – should deepen this partnership.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
Kenya tells tea factories to cut ties with Rainforest Alliance due to costs
The Kenyan government has told its tea factories to stop working with the Rainforest Alliance because it says the costs involved in securing the ethical label don't add up for farmers. The non-profit organisation is one of the world's most recognisable certification schemes with its green frog seal on food packaging a sign consumers 'can feel confident that these products support a better world'. However the world's third largest tea producer has ordered tea factories to suspend certification work because the cost is adding to the financial strain on struggling smallholders. A recent Fairtrade Foundation poll found only one in five tea workers and farmers in Kenya are earning enough each month to support their families with essentials. In a memo issued after an industry summit, the agriculture principal secretary, Paul Ronoh, said the 'burden of implementation' of the Rainforest Alliance scheme was vested on tea factories then 'cascaded to the tea farmers and growers'. This cost 'ordinarily should be met by the customers', Ronoh said. Rainforest Alliance is a global non-profit organisation that works to promote sustainable agriculture, forestry and responsible business practices. The green frog seal appears on nearly 240 brands and is almost ubiquitous in UK supermarket tea ranges with big names including Tetley, PG Tips and Yorkshire Tea among those signed up. About half the tea consumed in the UK comes from Kenya. The widespread demand for ethical certification is linked to the reputational risk of sourcing from tea-producing regions with a long list of problems. These include low wages, unsafe working conditions, gender inequality and environmentally unsustainable practices. In addition, countries such as India and Kenya are grappling with climate crisis-related weather changes. However critics complain that while buyers for western markets only want to buy certified tea they rarely offer to pay a premium for it. While UK consumers are happy to splurge on coffee, the same is not true of tea. The average price of a teabag is 'just 2 or 3p' despite the fact that the cost to grow and pick tea is increasing, according to a recent Fairtrade Foundation report on the subject. Although Rainforest Alliance facilitates certification, it does not set the fees charged by external auditors who evaluate whether growers meet its 'sustainable agriculture standard'. The cost of certification depends on factors such as farm size, with growers often grouping together. For a smallholder-managed tea factory the annual cost is estimated to be about $3,000. This could come down however as a streamlined process that cuts the preparation work involved in an audit is being introduced this year. Ronoh said that as the Rainforest Alliance logo 'had not demonstrated solid impact commensurate to the costs of implementation, the meeting resolved to suspend the scheme with immediate effect'. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Tea is a major cash crop for Kenya and the decision comes as the country grapples with the knock-on effect of a moribund tea price on the millions of people who rely on it for their livelihood. The Rainforest Alliance says it is engaging with the State Department of Agriculture in Kenya to 'gain clarity and to work towards a joint resolution quickly'. It has contacted certificate-holders to assure them that the endorsement remains valid until the expiration date, meaning 'farmers are able to sell their tea as certified'. A spokesperson said: 'We remain committed to supporting in Kenya to the fullest extent possible, and our tea brands and companies have communicated that they remain fully committed to continuing to purchase Rainforest Alliance certified tea.' The Kenyan government is said to be considering putting in place a localised certification model. It would likely have similar sustainability goals but lower compliance costs and less administrative complexity. A spokesperson for the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), an NGO focused on tackling problems in the tea sector, said it hoped the Kenyan suspension would be 'short-lived and that a solution to this current impasse will be found'. Certification is a 'critical tool to allow all stakeholders in the tea supply chain to ensure that the workers, farmers and communities who rely on tea for their livelihoods are being treated fairly', the ETP added.
