Delta will eliminate direct flight to Paris

10-year service run will end on Sept. 3

When Delta Air Lines launched service to Paris from Pittsburgh International Airport in 2009, it was the only game in town for travelers who wanted to fly nonstop to Europe.

Nine years later, faced with competition from three other airlines for the trans-Atlantic market, Delta is calling it quits.

The airline announced Wednesday that it is ending the service into Charles de Gaulle International Airport on Sept. 3 after a 10-year run.

“Due to increased trans-Atlantic capacity in the Pittsburgh market and other commercial considerations, Delta has made the tough business decision to discontinue its seasonal Pittsburgh-Paris service after the summer 2018 season,” the airline stated.

When Delta first launched the service, it was considered a major coup for a region still reeling from the loss of the US Airways hub in 2004.

The nonstop arrived backed by $9 million in subsidies over two years ponied up by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the state to offset potential revenue losses. When the subsidies ended, Delta decided to continue the flight, albeit on a seasonal basis.

Until last year, it was the only airline to offer nonstop service to Europefrom Pittsburgh. But that changed when Condor Airlines began offering a seasonal flight intoFrankfurt, Germany.