American Airlines announces a new European route out of PHL
The new direct flight to a Portuguese city could begin running in summer 2027, pending government approval.
American Airlines is planning a new route to Porto, Portugal, from Philadelphia.
The route is expected to become available in summer 2027, pending government approval, the airline noted in a news release Thursday.
The flight will be offered on a new aircraft — the Airbus A321XLR — that American just began operating in December. According to PHL chief commercial officer Kate Sullivan, having that aircraft is key to the new route availability. The aircraft will feature “Flagship Suite” seats, which were recently introduced on some PHL flights.
“Not only is seeing a summer 2027 route announced so early exceptional, the A321XLR will enable American to serve markets like Porto that have strong demand but may not support daily flights from wide-body aircraft,” Sullivan said. “Porto is just the beginning of what this aircraft will unlock for our region’s residents and visitors.”
This will be the first time that Porto is offered as a direct route out of PHL, airport spokesperson Heather Redfern confirmed Friday. Sullivan said the addition is “outstanding news for PHL.”
“Porto is exactly the type of new market the Airbus A321XLR enables us to serve,” Brian Znotins, a senior vice president at the airline, said this week at a conference.
American has recently added several other direct flights from PHL to Europe. In 2024, the airline launched routes connecting Philadelphia to Copenhagen, Denmark; Nice, France; and Naples, Italy.
The airline also launched a bus service in 2022 to shuttle passengers from airports in the region to PHL to take a flight. And it opened new lounges at PHL last year, featuring two bars, private phone rooms, and showers.
American was among the top 10 largest employers in Philadelphia in 2025 and is the largest airline by passenger volume operating out of PHL. In 2024, the airline carried nearly 20 million passengers through the airport.