Delta expands in Europe as more and more countries open up

Delta Airlines has announced a significant expansion in Europe as more and more countries open up for travellers from the United States. The airline is adding flights to Amsterdam, Netherlands while resuming flights to Lisbon, Portugal and Frankfurt, Germany.

After more than a year of restrictions on international travel, Europe is reopening for leisure and other non-essential travellers from the United States – with the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal being the latest countries to welcome back international travellers.

Delta is already flying multiple daily flights to Amsterdam. However, the airline is eyeing a significant expansion after Netherlands announced that it is opening up to all travellers from the United States. Starting 24th June 2021, the Netherlands will open to all US travelers without testing, vaccination, or quarantine requirements.

Delta will operate the following routes to the nation:

• Current twice-daily service from Atlanta will increase to 3-times-a-day from 7th July. A combination of Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A330-300 aircrafts will be used.
• Daily flight from Detroit will continue with a Airbus A350-900
• Daily service from New York JFK and Seattle onboard Airbus A330-900neo will continue
• 5-times-a-week service from Boston using Airbus A330-300 will continue
• 5-times-a-week service from Minneapolis will increase to daily from 7th July. The airline will deploy a Airbus A330-300 on this route
• 3-times-a-week service from Salt Lake City will increase to 5-times-a-week. The carrier deploys a Airbus A330-200 on this route.

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This means that Delta will operate a peak of up to 9 departures in a day to Amsterdam this July. An expansion of these services is expected into later 2021 and to 2022. The latest expansion announcement to Europe is in line with Delta’s previous growth to opened markets like Iceland, France, Greece, Croatia, among others.

In addition to this, Delta will resume 4-times-a-week flights to Lisbon, Portugal from its hub at New York JFK. The route will resume on 1st August 2021 using a Boeing B767-300ER. Portugal announced its reopening on 15th June to American travellers, requiring travelers to present a negative 72-hour RT-PCR/NAAT test or a negative 24-hour antigen test upon entry.

Furthermore, Delta will operate a daily flight to Frankfurt, Germany, from its hub at Atlanta. This route will be operated by a Airbus A330-300. This is currently in operation and will continue.

Italy has also eased its entry requirements alongside Germany – passengers can provide either proof of vaccination, a negative antigen/PCR/molecular test result conducted within 48 hours from arrival or proof of COVID-19 recovery. As such, Delta has ended its pioneering COVID-testing protocol for all Italy flights effective 21st June, and upcoming flights will now follow the standard entry requirements.

Adding flights to Amsterdam is a good thing for Delta. As such, the airline may not have enough aircrafts to have the ability to add destinations in European countries. Instead, it can funnel passengers through Amsterdam onto further destinations via its partnership with KLM. For example, passengers who want to visit places like Munich, Porto, Malaga, or other destinations that Delta is not currently flying to nonstop, can connect in Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, Delta recently announced that it is returning to the South African market by resuming nonstop flights to Johannesburg. The airline has also taken delivery of its 50th Airbus A220 aircraft.

Featured image by Conde Nast Traveller

What do you think of Delta’s latest expansion in Europe? Are you booked on a Delta flight to Europe this summer? Let me know in the comments section below.

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