Delta to start Atlanta-Johannesburg-Cape Town route

Delta Air Lines this week finally received the news it had been waiting two years to hear.

The South African government approved Delta’s request for a triangular route from the U.S. to South Africa, according to the aviation industry blog The Points Guy.

Delta will now fly from its home hub in Atlanta to Johannesburg in South Africa and then on to Cape Town using an Airbus A350.

“Delta is pleased that its application to operate its triangular route from Atlanta-Johannesburg-Cape Town-Atlanta has been approved,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to TPG. “We look forward to extending our new routing to serve South Africa later this year and offering more choice of travel between the U.S. and South Africa.”

The airline already operates a thrice-weekly nonstop flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg so it’s likely Delta will just add Cape Town to that existing route.

Cape Town is about a two-hour, 800-mile flight from Johannesburg.