New operator for American routes weeks after United exit

Birmingham Airport has moved quickly to replace the loss of United Airlines, with new low cost airline Primera Air swooping in to fill the vacant slots.

Primera Air will fly daily to New York and four times a week to Boston.

It will base its new 198-seat Airbus A321 Neos at Birmingham Airport.

Andri Ingolfsson, the chairman of Primera Air, said: “With our brand new Airbus321NEOs airplane, we are opening routes previously traditionally served only by wide-body aircrafts.”

In February American Airlines pulled its service to JFK Airport and earlier this month United announced it was to end its New York service from Birmingham.

“We are delighted to be entering in to a partnership with an additional transatlantic airline,” said William Pearson, aviation director at Birmingham Airport.

“[Boston] is a brand new route from Birmingham so we are delighted that Primera Air will give people from the region the opportunity to visit this city direct from their local airport.”