Remarkable growth of Edinburgh Airport's US routes as Philadelphia flights extended
Eleventh air route to be launched this year - increasing multiple daily services to New York
One of Scotland’s busiest airport’s routes to the United States is to be extended for the second time in the latest growth that has seen the number of such links double in four years.
American Airlines announced on Thursday that its summer flights between Edinburgh Airport and Philadelphia would continue nearly year-round, in their second expansion in months.
The services, which were restored last year between May and October, will be extended to January 2027.
It follows the airline announcing in October that the start of this year’s flights would be brought forward to March.
The expansion will coincide with the carrier resuming its Edinburgh-New York JFK summer route in March - the fourth airline to fly daily services there from the Scottish capital.
The growth is expected to enable Edinburgh to notch up another passenger record. It handled 15.8 million passengers in 2024 - 10 per cent more than the previous year - with 2025’s total expected to be announced shortly.
A key part of the success is the airport attractiveness as both a gateway to Scotland for visitors and to US destinations for Scottish travellers.
American will join JetBlue, which launched daily summer flights to JFK in 2024, two years after Delta restored its daily year-round route following the Covid pandemic.
United has flown between Edinburgh and New York Newark since 2004, with the year-round flights even temporarily increasing to twice daily in summer 2024.
JetBlue launched daily summer Boston flights last year, joining Delta which has operated the route since 2022.
The flights are likely to be in heavy demand from Scotland fans as the World Cup matches against Haiti and Morocco will be played in the city on June 14 and 19.
However, Edinburgh Airport said no direct flights had yet been announced to Miami, where the Scotland team plays its final first round game against Brazil on June 24.
Delta restored its summer route to Atlanta in 2023, while United resumed its Chicago and Washington DC routes in 2022, when Virgin Atlantic launched flights to Orlando.
United has extended its Washington route to nearly year-round, with only a six-week gap until February 20, while Virgin will add six extra return flights this year.
Edinburgh Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar hailed the growth.
He said: "Transatlantic travel, both inbound and outbound, continues to be in high demand.
“We know there's an even greater interest in it this summer as the Tartan Army and others look to follow their teams at the 2026 World Cup
“We're glad to continue to offer that breadth of choice by working with our partners to ensure we have fantastic connections for both business and leisure.
“They recognise Scotland’s appeal and view the capital as a gateway to the country - and we’re committed to strengthening and expanding connectivity wherever possible.”
Mr Dewar said of the Philadelphia expansion: "Announcing an extension to an already popular route is a fantastic way to start the new year, and we're delighted to see American Airlines continue to grow its presence at Scotland's busiest airport.”
Edinburgh also has summer flights to Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Halifax in Canada by Air Canada and WestJet.
This summer will also see Glasgow Airport win back a New York route after a seven-year gap, with United restoring summer flights to Newark in May.
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