Continental to lift UKcoverage with Stansted-New York service

Continental to lift UKcoverage with Stansted-New York service

Report by JOHN LAVABRE

CONTINENTAL Airlines is to start a daily service to New York from Stansted Airport, ending months of speculation.

Subject to Government approval, the airline will fly Boeing 757s daily, departing Stansted at 9.30am and arriving at New York’s Newark airport at 12.30pm. Return flights will leave Newark at 7pm, landing at Stansted at 7.20am thenext day.

The new flights, which will start on May 2, will be the only non-stop transatlantic scheduled service to fly from Stansted.

The only long-haul flights from Stansted at the moment are a small number of charter flights to Canada and some flights to Tel Aviv in Israel.

Continental senior director for UK and Ireland, Michael Carter, said: “This route will further enhance our coverage of the UK.”

Stansted Airport managing director John Stent said: “The airport is ready for transatlantic services and I know there will be huge demand for this new link to New York.”

Stansted was just one of several airports which had been in the running to host Continental’s new service. Newcastle, Leeds/Bradford, Cardiff International and Bristol bid for the flights earlier this year (Travel Weekly January 24). The new service will add to Stansted’s reputation as one of Europe’s fastest growing airports.

Stansted serves 11 million passengers a year and has recorded a year-on-year growth of 30%. This year a £200 million expansion project got underway which aims to increase capacity to around 15 million passengers a year.

Airline ends speculation with non-stop daily flights to Newark airport

New move: Continental’s flights to New York will be the only non-stop transatlantic service from Stansted