EDINBURGH AIRPORT will run a daily summer service to New York from next year.
American Airlines will fly between Edinburgh and New York’s JFK airport between May and September.
The service will offer a daily flight departing Edinburgh International Airport with the first flight of the service taking off on 7 May 2015 at 9:15am and arriving in JFK at approximately 11:45am (EST).
The flight will carry between 182-188 passengers on the American Airlines Boeing 757-200 and will join Air Canada
Rouge and United Airlines who reported a successful summer season in this year.
This will be the first time an American Airlines aircraft will touch down at Edinburgh following their merger with US Airways in December last year.
Welcoming the news, Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “New York is one of the most famous cities in the world and one of our most popular international destinations.
“We’re confident that this new service will be a hit with Scottish passengers, both for visitors to the Big Apple and those travelling to onward destinations across America.
“As Scotland’s busiest airport we’re committed to providing our passengers with the best choice of destinations and airport experience. We’re delighted to be working with American Airlines and look forward to the launch of this new service next year.”
Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “I warmly welcome this new direct route between Edinburgh and New York, which will no doubt be popular with tourists and business travellers alike.
“Scotland and the USA share close cultural and historic bonds and this service will only serve to strengthen them, giving Scottish companies a direct link to America’s biggest city and making it even easier for American visitors to experience our wonderful tourist offering.
“We could attract more direct flights like this one to Scotland by cutting rates of Air Passenger Duty, something that we don’t currently have the power to do but which has wide support in the aviation industry.
“I congratulate Edinburgh Airport and American Airlines on this new route and look forward to seeing it take off next summer.”
Edinburgh Airport is Scotland’s busiest airport. More than 40 airlines serve 100-plus destinations and 9.78 million passengers passed through the airport in 2013 – the busiest year ever for a Scottish airport. It is the fifth largest in the UK, in terms of passenger numbers, and employs over 5000 people.
