Budget airline to launch flights from London to Washington
Latvian budget airline Primera Air has announced it will launch flights from London Stansted to Washington Dulles airport just days after revealing that it is ditching plans for a Birmingham to Boston service, which was due to start in June.
The airline is also cutting back frequency on its new Birmingham to New York Newark service, which will launch on May 18.
Instead, it will fly five times a week from Stansted to Washington, starting on August 22. Fares will start at £199 one way.
The airline will also increase frequency between Stansted and Toronto.
"We’ve been planning to add Washington from the beginning of the transatlantic flight project," said president and owner Andri Mar Ingolfsson.
"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."
Stansted welcomed new of the additional flights. "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," said Stansted CEO 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."
Ingolfsson said the airline was adjusting its flight network due to the number of bookings. Frequency on the Stansted to Toronto route will increase from three to five flights per week.
Flights will be operated by Airbus A321neo and A321LR aircraft, which the airline is planning to take delivery of soon.
"Our low-fare transatlantic flights are possible due to the latest technology by Airbus and Boeing. We are only a few weeks away from receiving our first Airbus A321neo units, which will start operations in April," added Ingolfsson.
Primera Air is also opening new bases Paris Charles de Gaulle, as well as at Stansted and Birmingham, for flights to New York, Boston and Toronto this April. It also plans new routes from the UK to Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Barcelona and Chania.
In the next two years, it is aiming to add new transatlantic routes and bases, and has 20 new Boeing MAX9-ER on order.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive