Cincinnati is to receive a second direct route to Europe during the northern summer 2023 season alongside its existing link to Paris.

British Airways (BA) plans to start flying to Cincinnati Northern Kentucky (CVG) from London Heathrow (LHR), starting on June 5. Service will be five times per week in summer and four in winter using Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

“This is the first time we’ve flown this route, and we can’t wait to connect two cities which both have so much to offer,” BA director of networks and alliances Neil Chernoff said.

“Not only will this open up these destinations to customers on each side of the Atlantic, but it will also improve connectivity between the Cincinnati region, Europe and beyond, with opportunities to connect to our wider network via London.”

Located on the banks of the Ohio River, the Cincinnati region spans portions of three states: Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The city has a population of about 300,000 inhabitants and the wider metropolitan area around 2.3 million.

Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, said: “The economic impact of this transatlantic flight is exponential for business travel, economic development, and tourism between the UK and our area of the US.”

The US airport currently has one nonstop connection to Europe, with Delta Air Lines offering three flights per week to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) onboard 767-300s. The city’s only other transatlantic link in recent years came during the summer 2018 season when now-defunct Icelandic carrier WOW air served CVG from Reykjavik Keflavik (KEF).

According to data provided by Sabre Market Intelligence, O&D traffic between Cincinnati and London totaled 33,696 two-way passengers in 2019—all of whom traveled indirect. The figure made London the city’s largest O&D market in Europe ahead of Paris with 24,614 two-way passengers.

Elsewhere in the US, BA launched its delayed 5X-weekly Portland (PDX) route in summer 2022 and service will become daily during summer 2023. Service from London Heathrow to Pittsburgh (PIT) will also become 6X-weekly and New York John F Kennedy (JFK) will increase to 8X-daily.