Dutch music, cheese and fanfare! Delta Air Lines launches first nonstop flight from TPA to Amsterdam

With Dutch folk and pop music streaming and platters of Gouda cheese served to guests, excitement buzzed at Tampa International Airport’s Gate E64 as passengers eagerly waited to board Delta Air Lines Flight 6125.

TPA CEO Joe Lopano, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and other community partners kicked off the celebration of the inaugural May 23 departure of Delta’s first of seasonal nonstop flights to Amsterdam from Tampa International Airport.

“This type of international flight has air service has been a top priority for us,” Lopano said. “Not only do these flights allow our residents to explore the world, they bring the world to us. That’s good for tourism and business growth in general.”

The event was especially exciting as it was Castor’s first airport appearance as Tampa Mayor. Castor, who will serve on the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Board during her term, praised TPA for being “the best airport in the world” and for working to bring more international service to the Tampa Bay region.

“There are actually businesses that moved to Tampa and brought their families here just because of this airport and how easy it is to navigate,” Castor said. “I would like to thank everyone who played a role in bringing this flight here. I know it takes up to five years to bring an international flight here so it’s not something that happens overnight.”

Amsterdam adds a fourth European destination to TPA’s route map and provides an easy gateway to Delta’s vast network of worldwide connections. The Netherlands capital was one of the three European cities TPA targeted for international air service development in late 2016.

Delta will use a 211-seat Boeing 767-300 for the flights, which will operate four to seven times per week, depending on the time of year and travel peaks.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is among Europe’s busiest airports and one of Delta’s largest European hubs, connecting passengers to destinations across Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa and Asia via Delta’s partner airlines Air France, KLM, Alitalia and Jet Airways.

“Speaking on behalf of my more than 80,000 Delta colleagues around the world, we couldn’t be more thrilled to be growing our presence in this beautiful city,” said Tori Forbes-Roberts, Delta’s Vice President of Reservation Sales and Customer Care. “The Tampa-to-Amsterdam service is done in partnership with our Dutch friends at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines who call Amsterdam home and Air France, with whom we our celebrating this month our 10-year anniversary of our joint venture partnership across the transatlantic. This partnership means we’re able to offer our shared customers access to more destinations together than we could on our own.”

In the past two years, TPA has added more than 45 new nonstop domestic and international routes. Since Lopano arrived at TPA in 2011, the Airport has seen more than 150 percent increase in international passengers with the addition of nonstop service to Zurich, Panama City, Frankfurt, and other destinations. The international visitors have contributed to the Airport’s passenger growth, which is expected to surpass a record 22 million passengers in 2019.

With the Amsterdam addition, TPA now offers passengers access to European travel on all three major airline alliances, with Delta’s SkyTeam added to Lufthansa’s Star Alliance and British Airways’ Oneworld. The alliances benefit those with frequent flyer status or mileage rewards, as well as providing an easier process to reach more international destinations.

To book a flight between Tampa and Amsterdam, visit www.delta.com.