New Orleans to Cape Town (MSY–CPT) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

MSY Airport Page →
8,345 mi airlines charter/private ~1/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Connecting Flight Schedule 4 1-stop flights Verified 4w ago
Charter / private route. No scheduled airline service — operated by charter & private aviation.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 4 hubs
ATL Atlanta 18h 17m AFAMDL DL Atlanta (ATL) to Cape Town flights
IAD Dulles 19h 51m ACAZCM UA Dulles (IAD) to Cape Town flights
EWR Newark 23h 57m ACOSTP UA Newark (EWR) to Cape Town flights
LHR London 30h 15m AYBAIB BA London (LHR) to Cape Town flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
New Orleans to Cape Town
Flown by charter / private operators — no scheduled airline service.
8,345 mi 18h 17m nonstop +7h ahead

MSY–CPT has no scheduled airline service; it is flown by charter / private operators. 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Connection Landscape

1-stop and 2-stop options for MSY to CPT.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
4
Hubs
~18h
Fastest
~30h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
283
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
MSY → CPT
11%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
11%
Return
CPT → MSY
65%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Arriving
65%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. MSY delays →

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
+7h
Cape Town is 7 hours ahead of New Orleans.
MSY: CDT · CPT: SAST

When it's 6:00 PM in New Orleans, it's 1:00 AM (next day) in Cape Town.
Distance & Flight Time
8,345 mi / 13,429 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 18h 17m gate to gate.
Visa & Entry

US passport holders enter South Africa visa-free for up to 90 days for tourism or business. No advance application is needed. Passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond your planned departure from South Africa, and you must have at least 2 consecutive blank visa pages (endorsement pages do not count). South African immigration enforces the blank pages rule strictly, and airlines may deny boarding if your passport does not meet this requirement. At O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg or Cape Town International Airport (CPT), immigration stamps your passport.

The 90-day stay cannot be extended for tourists. If you need more time, apply for a visitor visa at a South African embassy before travel. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if you arrive from or transit through a yellow fever endemic country (most of sub-Saharan and equatorial Africa, plus parts of South America). Direct arrivals from the US with no African transit do not need the yellow fever certificate. South Africa has 3 major international gateways: Johannesburg (JNB), Cape Town (CPT), and Durban King Shaka (DUR).

Delta operates nonstop from Atlanta (ATL) to Johannesburg, about 15 hours 30 minutes on an Airbus A350. United flies nonstop from Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg and from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Cape Town. South Africa uses the South African rand (ZAR), trading at roughly 18 ZAR per $1. The Gautrain runs from O.R. Tambo Airport to Sandton in 15 minutes for ZAR 185 ($10.30) and to Pretoria in 40 minutes. In Cape Town, the MyCiTi bus Route A01 runs nonstop from CPT airport to the Civic Centre in the city center. Card payments work widely. Uber operates in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria. Domestic flights between JNB and CPT take about 2 hours on FlySafair, Airlink, or LIFT, with one-way fares starting at ZAR 600 ($33).

MSY–CPT Quick Facts

Key statistics for the New Orleans to Cape Town route.
Route details
Distance8,345 mi / 13,429 km
Flight time18h 17m
Time difference+7 hours
Airlines (nonstop)Charter / private
Weekly flights~1 out
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: MSY
IATA / ICAOMSY / KMSY
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr13.1M
Elevation4 ft / 1 m
Destination: CPT
IATA / ICAOCPT / FACT
TimezoneAfrica/Johannesburg
Passengers/yr10.4M
Elevation151 ft / 46 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about MSY to CPT flights.
Nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to Cape Town International Airport take about 18h 17m gate to gate. The route covers 8,345 miles.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, Washington Dulles and Newark Liberty.
Cape Town is 7 hours ahead of New Orleans.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from MSY to CPT

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) are connected through multiple connecting hub airports.

MSY to CPT Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from MSY to CPT is about 18 hours 17 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 8,345 miles (13,429 km).

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, Washington Dulles and Newark Liberty. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.