RDU and American Airlines Mark 10th Anniversary of Transatlantic Flight

RDU Airport, NC – Raleigh-Durham International Airport and American Airlines today will celebrate the 10 th anniversary of the region's popular flight to Europe. American Airlines began serving RDU and London-Gatwick Airport using a 165-seat Boeing 767. In 2001, the airline transitioned to the 240-seat Boeing 777 to meet local demand for the international flight.

The celebration will begin at 5 p.m. today in the Kitty Hawk Suite located on the Terminal C concourse.

In 1992, the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority joined forces with American Airlines and the North Carolina Departments of Travel and Tourism and Business and Industry to gain federal government approval to begin service between RDU and the U.K. At that time, the U.S. Department of Transportation was responsible for assigning a limited number of commercial routes to European destinations.

To support the airline and state's efforts, hundreds of businesses throughout North Carolina wrote letters illustrating the strong commercial ties between the state and the U.K. In November 1993, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced American Airlines had won approval to begin service between RDU and London-Gatwick.

Over the years, demand for the transatlantic flight has grown:

In 1992, 130 U.K. companies had offices in North Carolina. Today, 174 U.K.
companies maintain offices in the state.
Thirty-six U.K. companies currently operate offices in the Triangle region.
Over the past three years, U.K. companies have invested nearly $65 million in the Triangle region and created over 300 jobs.
U.K. companies operating in the Triangle include GlaxoSmithKline, Kidde Fire Fighting, Misys Healthcare Systems and Oxford University Press.
The RDU/London-Gatwick flight serves over 100,000 passengers a year.
Based on the success of this flight, the Airport Authority later this year will begin an air service study to promote additional transatlantic service from RDU.
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