Beginning March 27, 2017, British Airways will operate a non-stop flight between London's Heathrow Airport and Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans four times per week on the state-of-the-art Dreamliner aircraft.

"The announcement is a strong signal to the rest of the world that New Orleans and Louisiana remain one of the world's great destinations," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. "A direct flight to London will continue to grow our ever increasing international visitation numbers and support economic growth throughout our great state. I look forward to welcoming the first passengers from London to Louisiana on March 27, 2017."

The number of British travelers to Louisiana has seen a steady increase which is anticipated to grow further with the addition of a direct, year round service. Currently, British leisure travelers come to Louisiana using surrounding gateway cities to either connect with a flight to New Orleans or drive.

The UK is the second largest source of visitors to Louisiana. The state-of-the-art aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, will be able to accommodate 214 travelers on each flight.

"This is the beginning of a new era for New Orleans and Louisiana with the launch of this British Airways flight," said Jody Hanson, owner of Travel & Tourism Marketing Ltd. " British travelers prefer a direct service where possible. With ease of accessibility you directly impact visitation numbers, encouraging the UK consumer to visit what they perceive to be a world renowned bucket list destination."

A direct service to New Orleans opens up possibilities, such as:

• Increased touring within Louisiana through both fly-drive trips and escorted touring holidays;
• Increased cruising out of the Port of New Orleans for the British cruise market;
• Increased educational tourism by schools and universities;
• Increased year-round visitation; and,
• Increased incentives for businesses.

“The new partnership with BA will drive the brand of New Orleans as a world destination not only in the U.K., but throughout the European continent,” said Stephen Perry, President & CEO of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. “With the new Dreamliner and all of its amenities, we will have a top of class aircraft directly connecting London to New Orleans. We will jointly forge an entirely new marketing approach in collaboration with BA and our London office that will be a huge part of a greatly ramped up international marketing program, designed to generate hundreds of millions of new top line dollars to the Greater New Orleans region.”