Press release -
Capital cities United for the first time
The capital cities of Scotland and the USA are now directly connected for the first time following the start of a new route between Edinburgh and Washington D.C.
United Airlines flight UA147 took off from Edinburgh this afternoon after an inaugural ceremony including music, cakes, gifts for passengers and bagpipes for a traditional Scottish welcome and send off.
The daily service to Washington Dulles will operate on a Boeing 757-200 and will depart Edinburgh at 1230, landing at 1530 local time. It will operate until the 4th of October.
The service connects Edinburgh to 63 North American destinations via United’s Washington Dulles Airport hub, such as Orlando, Las Vegas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tampa and Denver. It also builds on United’s year-round flights to New York Newark and a summer service to Chicago.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said:
“This fantastic addition to Edinburgh Airport will link our two capital cities for the first time and strengthen the already strong links between Scotland and America.
“We know that Edinburgh and Scotland are a huge draw for inbound tourists and we look forward to welcoming and showing them the fantastic sights and history that we have, and the allure of a dynamic city like Washington D.C and all of its landmarks will prove to be a popular with those passengers looking to experience the best of America. Business on both sides of the Atlantic will also benefit from increased access.
“We fly to more than 150 destinations worldwide and we’re always looking to establish new direct links to destinations across the globe and offer greater choice to the 13.4 million people who travel through Scotland’s busiest airport ever year.”
Bob Schumacher, United Managing Director Sales United Kingdom and Ireland, said:
“We are excited to inaugurate our nonstop seasonal service between Edinburgh and our Washington, D.C. hub, connecting the two capital cities for the very first time.
“Our new flight strengthens our international route network and provides our customers from Scotland with greater travel choice, with almost 70 nonstop connections from Washington, D.C. to other destinations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.”
Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, said:
“This route is great news for Edinburgh and Scotland, and will further strengthen the strong cultural, historical and economic bonds we share with the United States.
“Improving Scotland’s direct international air links is one of the Scottish Government’s key objectives which is why we are committed to supporting our airports and expanding the number of destinations they offer.
“Enhancing direct access to America will see Scotland’s economy benefit through increased tourism, trade and investment. Not only is Washington a great destination in its own right but the new route will also connect passengers on to United’s vast route network.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“We’re delighted that United Airlines is expanding its network to Scotland with this new service from Washington DC to Edinburgh. This is great news for Scottish tourism, increasing links to our biggest international market, but is particularly exciting for the business events sector.
“With Washington DC considered the main hub for international associations in the States, and business tourism accounting for around 20% of all Scottish tourism, we hope this new route will increase opportunities for venues and properties across Scotland to host meetings and annual conferences of US-based international organisations.
“Scotland’s strength in business sectors such as life sciences and renewables stands it in good stead to win the attention of related enterprises across the Atlantic.”
Topics
- Tourism
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- oEquality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- oEnterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- oCulture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
