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The route will be flown on an Airbus A350, which will start the route by departing Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Cape Town International Airport<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
From there, it will traverse the Atlantic Ocean and come to Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB). It will then refuel and depart for Cape Town International Airport (CPT)<\/a><\/strong> before returning to Atlanta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delta Air Lines previously operated a daily non-stop flight between Johannesburg and Atlanta before the pandemic. This route was flown on its flagship Boeing 777 aircraft. Since Delta has retired the 777, the A350 is the only aircraft in its fleet capable of such a journey. Once pandemic travel restrictions were lifted, the airline started requesting approval to reopen this route. There were a few apparent roadblocks that hindered this plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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JNB sits over a mile high at 5,558 feet.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This higher takeoff altitude severely depletes aircraft performance, which means that while the A350 has adequate performance and fuel capacity to reach Johannesburg, it would not have enough to successfully take off and return to Atlanta <\/a><\/strong>without refueling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To tackle this, Delta Air Lines<\/a><\/strong> has opted to fly a short leg to Cape Town to refuel for the return journey. This route will only be available for international travel, meaning passengers cannot take this flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town without traveling to or from the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the performance issue resolved, <\/strong><\/strong><\/a>Delta Air Lines<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> hit another roadblock when COVID-19 cases spiked, causing South Africa to close its borders again. The airline finally received permission to go ahead with this route in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new route will be flown 4 times per week.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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