/ 26 November 1999

VIRGIN FLIES TO CAPE TOWN

VIRGIN Atlantic airlines boss Richard Branson blew into Cape Town on Thursday to launch his first flights to the tourist mecca. ”It has taken us 15 years to get permission to fly to Cape Town,” he told a media conference before a launch party on the city’s Camps Bay beach. ”Once a week means we get our foot in the door.” ”South African Airlines and British Airways have had a duopoly,” he said. ”We love the challenge of taking on the major companies in a lot of different sectors and shaking them up.” Branson said he is willing to ride out start-up losses for several years to make Cape Town a viable destination.