COMING TO SXSW: DIRECT FLIGHTS FROM AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam travelers can take direct flights to Austin for festival.

When South by Southwest kicks off in March, travelers from Amsterdam will be able to travel directly to Austin for the music, movie and tech festival, Delta Airlines said Monday.

The airline is adding four nonstop flights between Amsterdam’s airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for the festival, which is scheduled to run from March 9-18. The announcement comes on the heels of news that ABIA in March will also be adding its third nonstop flight to Europe — a direct flight to London-Gatwick Airport.

“Events like the SXSW always attract thousands of international visitors so it’s important for Delta to meet the demands of our customers by offering special flights to these events,” Dwight James, Delta’s senior vice president of Transatlantic, said in a written statement.

With more than 400,000 people attending SXSW last year, the addition of the nonstop flights will allow international customers to more easily access the festival, said Jim Smith, executive director for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The flights will be scheduled for March 8, March 9, March 14 and March 18 in 2018. Each flight will seat 225 on a Boeing 767-300 aircraft, potentially giving 900 people traveling to the festival a direct flight option.

Doug Driskill, chairman of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce’s air services task force, said Delta’s announcement is a victory for the Central Texas region.

“These four round-trip flights will serve as an additional gateway into Austin for employers, entrepreneurs, and influencers from Europe during SXSW and provide greater exposure for all that our region offers,” Driskill said in a written statement. “We encourage Austin-based employers to take advantage of this opportunity to showcase their businesses to those who will be traveling to Austin, and to deepen engagement with this critical European market.”

Earlier this month, Norwegian Air Shuttle announced that it is adding a direct flight from ABIA to London-Gatwick Airport beginning in March.

The flights will be offered each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the airline said. Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be used for the route.

British Airways already has a direct route from Austin to London’s Heathrow Airport.