US Airways Group Inc. will resume daily service to Paris from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport beginning April 21.
Flights will depart Charlotte, N.C., at 4:30 p.m. and arrive in Paris at 6:40 a.m. Flights will leave Paris daily at noon and arrive in Charlotte at 3:35 p.m.
The airline announced the service Thursday morning. The service is seasonal and will run from April through October.
โCharlotte is a very strong hub and the existing international flights here are doing very well,โ said US Airways CEO Doug Parker. โWe feel very good about the prospects of this flight.โ
Parker hopes the flight will eventually operate year-round. The airline applied for slots at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport months ago, he said. Paris officials notified US Airways on Tuesday that it had granted permission.
US Airways dropped its Charlotte-to-Paris route after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The airline also flies to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport from its hub in Philadelphia.
โWe never gave up on this flight,โ said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. โWe constantly called Doug asking him for this flight. And he would say, โMayor, we shall return.โ And now it has.โ
The restart of Charlotte-to-Paris service is part of the Tempe-based airlineโs international expansion plans.
โWe still have some catching up to do,โ Parker said. US Airwaysโ percentage of international flights is lowest among the major U.S. carriers. The airline expects to take delivery of several new larger aircraft that will give it more range.