The first direct service between Edinburgh and Philadelphia will be launched in May 2014 by US Airways, improving Scotland’s connections with North America.
Scottish and American passengers will be able to benefit from the new service, which will see daily flights between the two cities run between May 23 and October 01. US Airways, which flies to over 230 worldwide destinations, will operate flights on 176-seat dual-class Boeing 757 aircraft.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Airport, said: ‘This is another great result for Edinburgh and one which will see our American route network grow considerably, following the recent announcement that United will operate a direct Chicago service from May.
‘Next summer will be a hugely exciting time with the Ryder Cup and Year of Homecoming to look forward to. We’re pleased to be working with US Airways and allowing more American passengers to experience all that Scotland has to offer. Scots will also have the chance to visit this amazing city and the added opportunity to travel onwards to destinations like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hawaii.
‘This is not just an achievement for Edinburgh Airport but for the wider city and we’re delighted to be able to share our success with our partners.’
Edinburgh Airport has recorded its top most successful six months on record, with traffic rising significantly in October. A total of 917,437 people passed through the airport last month, a rise of 8.7 percent on October 2012. Domestic figures were up by 4.6% with 428,064 passengers, and international also increased with 489,373 people travelling through, an increase of over 11%.
Commenting on the passenger growth, Mr. Dewar said: ‘Since May, we’ve welcomed almost six million passengers through our doors. Edinburgh and Scotland continue to remain places where people want to visit for work or leisure and we’re delighted to play our part as one of the main gateways to our country.
‘Having recently announced a number of fantastic new routes for next year and with work now underway on our EAST Expansion project, we’re excited for the future and look forward to entering a new phase for the airport.’
