R8 156 Find Cheap Flights from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town – Compare and Save

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town:

• Earliest: departs at 18:25 and lands at 6:07
• Latest: departs at 22:30 and lands at 10:12.

The flight takes about 11h 42m.

Four cabin classes are available on flights from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town:

• Economy class
• Premium Economy Class
• Business Class
• First Class

Prices vary by airline.

A direct flight from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town takes 11h 42m, covering 15 571 km.

Yes, a valid passport is required for this international route. Many destinations require at least six months of validity beyond your travel dates. Check your passport expiry well before booking.

Return flights from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town range from R16 209 to R24 978, with an average of R19 647 over the past 12 months. Anything below R16 209 counts as a good deal.

Last-minute fares on this route (booked within two weeks of departure) run 0% above the R19 647 route average. Book 4 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

On this route, stopover flights are cheaper than direct options on average. Stopover fares average R15 353 return via Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Intl (NBO), compared with R21 559 for direct.

There is no standard. Checked bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge R1 514–R1 658 for the first checked bag in Economy. Premium fares and elite status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. Other aircraft seen on the route include Boeing 777-300ER variants.

Night is the busiest departure period on London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town flights, with 66% leaving in that window. Evening departures account for 33%, Morning flights for 1%, and Afternoon flights for 0%.

One-way fares from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about R9 469, which is 34% below the typical average for this route.

Cape Town Intl Airport (CPT) hosts 5 major car hire companies, with daily rates starting from around R49 for economy cars. Top options include:

• Sixt
• Europcar
• Woodford
• GREEN MOTION
• Hertz

Flights from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town usually depart from London Heathrow (LHR) and arrive at Cape Town Intl (CPT).

Night flights have the fewest delays on this route, while evening departures tend to have the most.

A flight is considered delayed when it departs 15 minutes or more after its scheduled time. This is the standard used by the US Department of Transportation and most airline industry reporting. On the London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town route, 11% of flights were delayed in the past three months, with delays averaging 1h 54m.

One-stop flights from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town most commonly connect through:

• Addis Ababa Bole (ADD) – 32% of one-stop connections
• Zurich (ZRH) – 13% of one-stop connections
• Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) – 12% of one-stop connections
• Frankfurt am Main (FRA) – 10% of one-stop connections

Yes. Flexible dates can save you up to 12% on flights from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town. Sunday is the cheapest departure day at R19 098 return on average, while Saturday is the most expensive at R21 634, a difference of R2 536.

Cheaper weekend fares like these are typical of routes dominated by weekday business travel.

2 airlines operate flights between London Heathrow Airport and Cape Town. The airlines offering direct flights on this route include:

• British Airways
• Virgin Atlantic

Flying via Frankfurt am Main (FRA) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time of 14h 53m, compared to 15h 09m via Zurich (ZRH) and 15h 37m via Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS).

Cape Town is 2 hours ahead of London Heathrow Airport (South Africa Time vs British Time). Plan for the time shift when scheduling connections or first-day activities.

Some of the most popular sights in Cape Town are Sea Point Pavilion, Bloubergstrand Beach, and Camps Bay Beach. These are among the most viewed places in Cape Town on KAYAK.

Among airlines operating London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town flights:

• Virgin Atlantic: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection
• British Airways: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection
• KLM: offers free seat selection

Extra legroom and free seat selection availability depends on fare class and route.

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• Virgin Atlantic: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class
• British Airways: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class
• KLM: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class

Baggage allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route, and airline, so always check the fare details before booking.

Yes, you can fly directly between London Heathrow Airport and Cape Town Airport with British Airways. This tends to take about 11h 30min and is the only airline that flies this route uninterrupted. There are also options for indirect flights, which take a little bit longer but may be a bit cheaper. You can fly with KLM, for example, and transfer in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) before continuing your journey.

Yes, when you arrive at Heathrow Airport it is possible to get through security quickly. However, you must book this in advance by at least 24h. The Fast Track Security service is available at all the terminals in the airport, costing approximately £12.50. It’s a great way to avoid the queues and get to the waiting area or your lounge ahead of a long flight.

Yes, there are many hotels where you can stay prior to your flight from Heathrow, should you not want to be in a rush for your flight. The direct routes to Cape Town that fly from Heathrow leave from Terminal 3, so you could stay at Hilton Garden Inn, which is conveniently located only a few minutes away from the terminal building.

Once you’ve landed at Cape Town Airport, it’s easy to continue your journey with the airport offering a variety of ways to travel. Apart from taxis, which are out the front of the terminal building, you can get a MyCiti bus, which takes about 30min in total and can be located on the ground floor at the front of the main terminal building.