The daily Gatwick route will get under way on 10 April 2023 with the inbound flight from JFK, Delta’s first to the Sussex airport for a decade after previously offering Atlanta. The outbound will depart Gatwick for JFK on 11 April.

Delta will go up against British Airways, JetBlue and Norse Atlantic at Gatwick on the JFK route. Gatwick and Delta share a long history, with Gatwick the destination for the US carrier’s first transatlantic flight. Delta will operate the route using a Boeing 767-300 wide-body aircraft.

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick airport chief executive, said the launch would extend Gatwick’s US reach and underlined the airport’s "competitiveness and operational capabilities".

“Delta is a huge name in the transatlantic market and being able to offer passengers across London and the south east the opportunity to travel with them between Gatwick and New York City is fantastic, providing not only wider choice, but further competition," said Wingate. "It also demonstrates the strong pull of Gatwick as an airport for big name, long-haul airlines.”
 
Nicholas Ferri, Delta vice-president EMEAI, added: “Delta is delighted to be returning service to London Gatwick which is where we first started our flights from the UK to the United States more than 40 years ago. Next summer our daily Gatwick to New York JFK flight will offer a convenient option for those customers going to America on holiday or business.”

Late last week, Delta launched what it has described as its "largest-ever" transatlantic schedule from JFK next summer, which will include more than 220 weekly departures.

Delta also plans to restore several other UK routes in the spring, including Atlanta-Edinburgh, a route it hasn’t operated since 2007. A five-times-weekly seasonal service to the Scottish capital will get under way on 25 May.

It will also restart Los Angeles-Heathrow services, a route it hasn’t operated since 2015. Daily flights will resume from 25 March.

Delta says it will offer 8% more transatlantic seats during summer 2023 than it did in summer 2022.

“Next summer, Delta will give customers expanded access to popular destinations across the transatlantic," said Delta’s senior vice-president of network planning, Joe Esposito.

“With nearly 620 weekly flights and connectivity to 32 destinations in Europe and beyond, customers will have a wealth of iconic destinations to explore and an unmatched journey to enjoy across the pond."