SkyTeam carrier Delta Air Lines is considering restarting nonstop flights between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR), with plans to have them airborne by 2029. Delta’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Joe Esposito, said the airline is working to resume service after exiting in 2024.

Esposito noted that while the airline plans to deploy its Airbus A330-900neo by 2029, it could bring this earlier to be in time for the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics, being hosted in Los Angeles, California, between July 14 and 30. Delta previously served the route until May 2024, when it withdrew under a joint-venture agreement that left Virgin Atlantic operating up to three daily flights to Heathrow.

Reconnecting Los Angeles To London Heathrow

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Flights between Los Angeles and London Heathrow are currently operated by American Airlines, British Airways, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. From Los Angeles, London Heathrow is the biggest international market, and UK CAA statistics show flights between Los Angeles and London as the eighth-largest market from the British capital. In 2025, more than 1.45 million passengers flew between the two cities.

Currently, Delta operates nonstop services from Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, New York–JFK, Salt Lake City, and Seattle/Tacoma to London Heathrow. Delta already suggested that it was reconsidering reconnecting Los Angeles and London, as reported by Simple Flying back in May. This came as the airline reviewed its LAX strategy, where it looks to keep building its network, expand to Asia, and increase capacity for premium travelers.

Nonstop Flights To The British Capital Just In Time For the 2028 Summer Olympics

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When Delta stopped flying to London from Los Angeles in May 2024, it left the route to its joint-venture partner Virgin. At the time, this move made sense, with several other legacy carriers saturating the market. Virgin maintains three daily services on the route, and Delta can still participate commercially through codesharing instead of deploying its own metal.

Delta has outlined that, should it return to London, it would look to use its A330-900neo in a premium heavy configuration. This would include up to 60 Delta One seats, as suggested by Esposito, with 70% of the aircraft’s capacity ringfenced for premium passengers.

Between both Delta and United, LAX has become a battleground as both airlines compete for premium corporate traffic. Last year, Delta remained the largest carrier at the airport, with 13.9 million passengers, and holds a 19% market share. United sits just behind this at 11.8 million passengers with a 16% share.

A Look At Delta’s Long-Haul Network From Los Angeles

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Delta maintains a modest long-haul network from Los Angeles and is one of two West Coast gateways to destinations in Asia and Oceania. A full list is detailed below:

Other international routes from LAX, albeit short- to medium-haul, include Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, San José (CR), Vancouver, Liberia (CR), and Mexico City–Benito Juárez.

During Esposito’s Delta Insights meeting, the airline’s Vice President also said it is actively considering several new long-haul international routes from the US West Coast, with Singapore high on its radar. Esposito expects Singapore to be next; however, he has not outlined whether it will operate from Seattle to Los Angeles. Several other future Asia destinations are also being analyzed for viability, with Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City) (SGN), Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), Osaka International Airport (KIX), Beijing Capital Airport (PEK), and other cities in India, but this will only be once Russian overflight restrictions are lifted.

Additionally, next month is expected to bring a ‘big domestic announcement’ for services from Los Angeles, with a range of the largest domestic business destinations expected to be spotlighted.