Birmingham Airport announces that more than two million passengers have flown between Birmingham and New York/Newark with United Airlines, as the airline approaches its twentieth anniversary serving the route. Operating non-stop flights from Birmingham Airport since 15th July 1997, United Airlines provides direct access to New York/Newark, with onward connections to over 300 destinations throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, including more than 100 served non-stop from Newark. Popular onward destinations taken by Birmingham Airport passengers include Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Commenting on these milestones, William Pearson, Aviation Director for Birmingham Airport, said: "United Airlines serves vital transatlantic connections for the region's business and leisure communities and has shown unwavering commitment to Birmingham over the last twenty years.

"Providing non-stop flights to New York gives customers a reliable service and flexibility with a Star Alliance airline, boosting our economy by plugging the Midlands Engine into global opportunities.”

“United is proud to have served Birmingham Airport for almost two decades, and we thank all of our customers who have chosen to fly with us during this time,” said Bob Schumacher, United’s Managing Director Sales – U.K. & Ireland.

“Our non-stop service offers customers in the Midlands access not only to New York City but also to hundreds of other destinations throughout the Americas via United’s Newark Liberty hub.”

The US has recently retaken the top spot from China as the number one destination for West Midlands exported goods. In 2015 the West Midlands exported £5.4bn of goods to the US, 30 per cent growth on the year before.

The West Midlands has also seen a 188 per cent increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects since 2011/12, with 81 new FDI projects in 2015/16, creating and safeguarding over 5,000 jobs. US firms have been the most prominent investors, accounting for 32 per cent of all projects.

In surveys conducted by Midlands Connect in 2015, 71 percent of Midlands businesses with international customers said that Birmingham Airport is their most important airport.

Aviation Minister, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, said, “Aviation plays a crucial role in our economy, creating jobs, opening up new tourism opportunities and building vital business links.  I am delighted that United Airlines has shown strong and lasting commitment to Birmingham Airport, helping strengthen links between the UK and US while boosting the Midlands Engine.”

Flight UA27 departs Birmingham daily at 9:00 a.m. and arrives at New York/Newark at 12:25 p.m. the same day. The return flight, UA26, departs New York/Newark daily at 7:25 p.m. and arrives in Birmingham at 7:10 a.m. the next day (all times local).

The Birmingham flights are operated by Boeing 757-200 aircraft featuring 169 seats – 16 in United BusinessFirst® and 153 in United Economy®, including 45 Economy Plus® seats with added legroom.

United Polaris business class, United’s brand new business cabin, features a reimagined sleep-enhancing experience for intercontinental travellers.  The first phase of United Polaris is now available onboard and features an elevated inflight food and beverage experience, tranquil custom bedding from Saks Fifth Avenue and exclusive amenity kits with products from Soho House & Co's Cowshed Spa.

United Economy offers complimentary food, soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee and inflight entertainment. Seats feature an adjustable headrest and a personal seat-back monitor delivering a multi-channel Audio/Video on Demand inflight entertainment system

United Economy Plus offers up to 15 cm of extra legroom. Located near the front of the Economy cabin, the seats give the added benefit of allowing a swifter exit from the plane on arrival.

United operates the largest hub in the New York City metropolitan area at Newark Liberty International Airport. Located just 14 miles from downtown Manhattan, the airport offers the fastest surface transfer journeys to many parts of the city, including the AirTrain service to New York Penn Station in midtown Manhattan, with a journey time of less than 30 minutes.