Primera Air will begin direct flights five times a week from London Stansted to Washington Dulles Airport from 22 August, the first low-fare airline to link the two cities.
The carrier will also increase flight frequency between London Stansted and Toronto to improve connectivity between these destinations.
“We’ve been planning to add Washington from the beginning of the transatlantic flight project. We see a strong demand for this route and we are the first low-cost airline to start operations between both cities, offering people an affordable way of transatlantic travel,” said Andri Már Ingólfsson, president and owner of Primera Air.
CEO of London Stansted, Ken O’Toole, said: “We’ve already seen a very positive response from passengers to Primera’s previous announcement of new services to New York, Boston and Toronto, and the addition of Washington will provide even more choice and connectivity to the east coast of the USA.”
Due to growing demand for flights from London Stansted to Toronto, Primera Air has also decided to increase flight frequency from three to five flights per week.
Ingólfsson said the booking numbers showed that travellers “have been waiting for flights to North America,” and added: “We are very satisfied with the results so far and are adjusting our flight network accordingly.”
“The announcement of Washington Dulles Airport joining Primera Air’s existing long-haul schedule, as well as the increased frequency to Toronto, is a real vote of confidence in Stansted and of the demand for long-haul flights to and from London and the East of England,” continued Ken O’Toole.
“We have made clear our ambition is to provide more services to the USA and add routes to China and India, so this is another step towards that goal. We look forward to the launch of these exciting new services in the coming months.”
Ingólfsson said these low-fare transatlantic flights are possible due to the latest technology by Airbus and Boeing, he said: “We are only a few weeks away from receiving our first Airbus A321neo units, which will start operations in April.”
