Delta Air Lines will resume international service between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Amsterdam (AMS) beginning October 25, 2020. It will be the first transoceanic service to restart from MSP since the COVID-19 pandemic led airlines to suspend such service last spring.
Delta will operate four flights per week (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) to Amsterdam on A330-300 aircraft. From Amsterdam, travelers will have many options to connect to other cities in Europe and beyond. Amsterdam is Delta’s largest European hub.
“Resumption of transoceanic service is a significant milestone in our recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 and a tremendous boost for MSP and the Twin Cities region,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which operates MSP. “While obstacles such as national quarantines and limited demand will likely delay resumption of MSP’s full contingent of pre-COVID transoceanic service, the resumption of Amsterdam service is an important first step, ensuring that people in the region once again have direct access to Europe.”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently removed one obstacle to resumption of international service when it stopped funneling passengers from particular countries to a handful of U.S. airports.
Travelers entering MSP Terminal 1’s international arrivals areas on flights from Amsterdam will see the same major health safety initiatives that have been in place across the airport as part of MSP’s Travel Confidently program. The MAC installed protective barriers at key customer touchpoints in International Arrivals and the facility is getting the same robust cleaning measures, including electrostatic fogging, that has been deployed in the terminals. The MAC has also mandated the use of face coverings at MSP as part of its multi-pronged program to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Airlines are serving 130 routes from MSP in September, with 288 average daily departures (vs. 508 daily departures in September 2019). In October, average daily departures will increase to 300.
Customs and Border Protection reopened its Global Entry office at MSP earlier this month. Global Entry allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. The CBP is open for additional Global Entry application interviews through the end of September. Passengers begin the process online at https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry.
The link to the PDF version of this news release is here.