en.Wedoany.com Reported - Delta Air Lines plans to significantly increase flights from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and is preparing to launch the airport's first transatlantic route next year.

As a SkyTeam alliance member, Delta will boost its flight volume from Austin by 85% compared to 2023, while adding new domestic routes to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport, and discontinuing service to Memphis and New Orleans. Aviation industry insider JonNYC revealed that Delta will launch its first international route from Austin next year. According to data from online aviation analytics company Cirium, Delta's seat capacity from Austin is expected to grow another 14% year-over-year, making it the fastest-growing airline at the airport. The Points Guy first reported these plans.

In June, Delta operated a total of 1,798 direct flights from Austin, with mainline aircraft operating over 1,150 flights, SkyWest Airlines operating 568 flights, and Endeavor Air operating 87 flights. At Austin, Delta's flight volume leads among traditional U.S. airlines, with an average of 550 more departing flights than American Airlines and 800 more than United Airlines in June.

The most popular routes from Austin are to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Denver International Airport, each with over 600,000 annual seats. Delta operates on these routes, facing competition from Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Austin's international route market is also growing, with British Airways operating direct flights to London Heathrow, Lufthansa operating direct flights to Frankfurt Airport, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operating direct flights to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Austin continues to grow as a major tech hub, and while Southwest Airlines has historically been the largest operator, Delta is closing in. Although the possibility of developing Austin into a hub is low, Delta clearly views it as a focus city, similar to its strategy in Boston in 2019. Delta's expansion in Austin will alleviate passenger demand for direct flights without the need to transit through other hubs. As Austin Airport undergoes a major terminal expansion, Delta will gain additional gates and open a new Delta SkyClub in a central location at the airport.