UK regulators have cleared JetBlue Airways to launch flights to London from New York and Boston, a further step in the carrier’s plans to begin transatlantic services this year.
In a short statement the UK CAA says it has today provided regulatory approval to the US carrier for the transatlantic services.
”This approval marks the first scheduled foreign carrier permit that has been issued to a new operator since the UK’s exit from the European Union,” the CAA notes.
JetBlue first announced its intent to operate to London from the US east coast in 2019 using its fleet of Airbus A321LRs and, later, A321XLRs. These plans were pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier has most recently been targeting the launch of flights between the USA and the UK for the third quarter of this year.
The carrier is still to formally state which airports in London it will serve, though in late March it appeared to secure slots at London Heathrow for the services, after information released by UK slot coordinator Airport Coordination Limited showed slots were allocated to JetBlue from the start of August.
JetBlue’s website shows no flights currently bookable to London.
