Chicago, Oct 14 (AP) United Airlines said Thursday it will launch its biggest expansion of transatlantic service next year, a vote of confidence that international travel will rebound from the depths of the pandemic.

Airline officials said that they will add five new destinations in Jordan, Norway, Portugal's Azores and Spain's Canary Islands and Palma de Mallorca.

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The flights will start in May and June from Newark, New Jersey, and Dulles Airport outside Washington.

United said it will also expand service from the US to five major destinations in Europe -- Berlin, Munich, Rome, Milan and Dublin – and seek approval from foreign governments to resume seven routes to Europe and Asia that were suspended during the pandemic.

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Meanwhile, United and other airlines are waiting for details on the planned easing of US travel restrictions that have prohibited many foreigners including most Europeans from entering the country.

Delta Air Lines officials said they expect details in the next few days on the early November easing.

Leisure travel within the US has returned roughly to pre-pandemic levels, airline officials say, but lucrative business and international travel remain deeply depressed.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)