Delta restarts daily service between Edinburgh and Atlanta

Delta has brought back its non-stop service between Edinburgh and Atlanta after more than a decade’s absence.

The first flight since 2007 arrived in the Scottish capital on Friday, May 26, with the 216-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft welcomed by a piper.

The connection, which is in addition to the links with New York-JFK and Boston, means transatlantic capacity at Edinburgh is set to be 149% of 2019 levels.

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Paul Hassenstab, Delta’s sales director for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India, said: “Bringing back our non-stop service from Edinburgh to Atlanta offers our customers more than 200 onward destinations across the United States and beyond as well as providing more options for US visitors to Scotland.”

Delta is working in partnership with Air France KLM and Virgin Atlantic as it connects Edinburgh with Georgia’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the world’s largest airport.

The US is Scotland’s top market for international inbound visitors, with Americans accounting for 18% of all international visits in 2019.

Hassenstab said: “The ties between our two nations are historic and enduring, and with positive demand for all our Scottish services both from business and leisure customers, we have grown our schedule between Scotland and the US by 90% compared to last year.”

Edinburgh airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said: “It’s always exciting to add new routes where we can, and we are thrilled to offer another connection to the USA by connecting these two fantastic cities.

“As Scotland’s airport, we want to tell the country’s story to the world, and we are lucky to have a story that continues to excite people – from history, culture and whisky to stunning scenery and a chance to reconnect with ancestors and family ties.

“This new route will be Delta’s third at Edinburgh airport and shows the strong demand and confidence in our market, and we look forward to working with our partners to make the route a success and provide seamless travel for both inbound and outbound travellers.”

Flight number DL35 departs Edinburgh at 12.05pm and arrives in Atlanta at 4pm, while flight number DL34 leaves Atlanta at 10.25pm and arrives at 11.30am.

When the service’s return was first announced, it was set to operate five times a week, but flights have been increased to daily until September 5 due to strong demand, Edinburgh airport said.