Speaking at a special event hosted by One Nucleus, the international life science organisation, Hrafn Thorgeirsson, CEO Primeria Air, highlighted the great value, quality service and vital connectivity the airline will provide to passengers and businesses along the London-Cambridge corridor when the new links to New York and Boston take to the air next spring.
Mr Thorgeirsson said: “We are proud and delighted to be opening our base at London Stansted and to announce direct flights to New York and Boston. We believe that these routes will be a great success, serving the catchment area of Stansted and also having a great importance in the development of the area.
“Looking at our advanced bookings, we are really happy to see a level of demand that has already exceeded our expectations. This is not all from Primera Air as in the coming weeks we will be announcing another new route from Stansted Airport, and beyond that we will also announce our future development plans at the airport, including more new routes.”
London Stansted Airport CEO, Ken O’Toole, welcoming Primera Air’s arrival, said: “We’re thrilled Primera Air has chosen to join us at London Stansted and launch these exciting and innovative new long-haul services to the USA. We know from our customers that there is enormous demand for flights to New York and Boston from London and the east of England, particularly the life-science, pharmaceutical and hi-tech sectors based here which trade and do business globally.
“With aviation capacity at a premium and another runway in the South East at least 15 years away, it’s essential we make the full use of Stansted’s single runway to attract more exciting new carriers like Primera Air.
“Access to long-haul destinations has been the number one priority for the business community and I hope this will be the start of a very positive and lasting relationship providing businesses with the routes they want while at the same time increasing tourism to our region and attracting inward investment.”
Also speaking at the event, James Palmer, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "It was great to be in Babraham this morning to launch Primera's new flights to New York and Boston. This is exciting news for Cambridgeshire and will help boost our competitiveness as an international leader in the life sciences sector.
“An international airport offering transatlantic services is crucial in enabling the economy of Greater Cambridge to achieve its full potential. I very much hope that this is the start of an exciting new transatlantic chapter for Stansted Airport.
"One of my focuses over the next couple of years is to ensure that Cambridge south station opens as soon as possible. This will reduce journey times between Cambridge and Stansted and will enable easy access to the heart of the biomedical campus."
Image (L-R): Hrafn Thorgeirsson, CEO Primeria Air, London Stansted Airport CEO, Ken O’Toole, and Primera Air Commercial Vice President, Anastasija Visnakova, at today’s event.
- From April 2018, the airline will offer daily services to New York’s Newark Airport and four a week to Boston Logan Airport from May. Flights will be operated by new Airbus A321NEO aircraft and include a choice of two cabins, full-service premium and low-fare economy, free Wi-Fi and onboard charging points.
- Flights to both destinations went on sale on July 20 with prices starting from £149 one-way inclusive of all taxes, fees and charges.Visit www.primeraair.com for more information.