Every day thousands of individuals are flown across the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe. Delta Air Lines has just announced another transatlantic flight, from New York to Berlin. The inaugural flight is set to fly in May 2023. This will be one of only two flights operated directly between Berlin and the United States.

The inauguration

Starting May 25th, 2023, Delta Air Lines will offer direct service from JFK International to BER International. The flight will operate once daily. This route will be one of the hundreds of transatlantic flights operated by Delta every week.

The inaugural flight, flight DL 92, is scheduled to depart New York's JFK airport at 20:40 EST. It will arrive at Berlin's BER airport at 10:50 GMT +1. The aircraft is expected to be turned in two hours with it scheduled to depart Berlin at 12:50 GMT. Flight number DL 93 will arrive back in New York at 15:30 EST.

The widebody of choice

Delta Air Lines operates a very diverse fleet. From smaller aircraft like the Airbus A220 and the Boeing 717 to the much larger Airbus A350. It has become one of the largest airlines in the world by operating a fleet that is well suited for nearly any flight. For this flight, Delta has chosen to operate the Boeing 767-300.

The airline currently operates 44 of these aircraft which can each hold 216 passengers. Delta previously had plans to retire these aircraft by the end of 2025, but since the pandemic, it has opted to keep these aircraft in service. This aircraft line has been in service with the airline for roughly 36 years since its introduction in 1986.

A seldom flown route

Delta Air Lines has a long history of transatlantic flying between The United States and Europe that goes back decades. This route has been launched and terminated multiple times before. The last time it was launched was in 2017. The airline relaunched service from New York-JFK to Berlin-TXL. The route was terminated in 2019.

In 2020 Tegel Airport (TXL) was closed to commercial service, eliminating the option for Delta to reopen a truly identical route. The new service will be between New York's John F. Kennedy airport and Berlin's Brandenburg Airport. Which opened in late 2020 as a replacement for the older Tegel airport.

Despite being the capital of Germany, only one non-stop flight is currently operated between the United States and Berlin. Operated by United Airlines, this service began earlier this year and is still going strong. The route is flown by a Boeing 767-300ER and operates daily from EWR-BER and back. This was the first flight operated between Berlin and the US since March 2020. The pandemic put a hold on international air travel. Now that restrictions have eased, demand has returned, and these international flights are again underway.

Delta Air Lines will launch a daily non-stop service between New York and Berlin beginning next May. This will be one of only two flights in operation between Berlin and the United States. The pandemic put a hold on transcontinental travel limiting the options of passengers until recently with the relaunch of a United Airlines flight from EWR-BER. Along with this newest route to be offered by Delta.