American airline JetBlue’s inaugural transatlantic flight with customers has landed at Heathrow airport this morning, in a milestone moment for the company.

The airline announced it had officially entered the transatlantic market with a new, nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

The aeroplane landed just before 10am local time today, marking the first time JetBlue has served a destination outside cities in the Americas.

JetBlue, the sixth largest airline in the US, also announced it will be offsetting all CO2 emissions on its London flights.

The UK ambassador to the US, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, congratulated the airline and wished the crew and customers a safe journey.

“As vaccinated Americans can now come to the UK without the need to quarantine,” she said, “this route will offer more Americans a path to doing business, holidays and family reunions in the UK. Today’s flight quite literally takes our ‘special relationship’ to new heights!”

The “additional accessibility between the two destinations will be an essential player in reigniting international travel,” agreed Paul Gauger, senior vice president of The Americas, VisitBritain.

“It is no surprise that there is a huge appetite from Americans to return to Britain, and with the recent announcement regarding the quarantine lift for double vaccinated Americans, we are ready to safely welcome them back to experience the bustling city of London and beyond, from our picturesque villages, breath-taking countryside and captivating coasts.”

The new comes days after Heathrow recorded 1.5m passengers traveling through the airport, the most in a single month since the beginning of the pandemic in July, up 74 per cent on last year.

With US passengers who have been double vaccinated now able to travel to the UK without isolating on arrival, North American passenger numbers grew 230 per cent last month.

There were 232,000 passengers who used transatlantic routes in July, with the Heathrow to New York JFK route reclaiming top spot as the airport’s most popular.

Chief executive officer of Heathrow, John Holland-Kaye, said JetBlue’s service will be “game-changing for the transatlantic market.”

Holland-Kaye said he hoped that Britain’s move to welcome back fully vaccinated US visitors might encourage the American government to ramp up its own vaccination programme.

Chief executive officer Robin Hayes praised the landmark moment as the first time in the 21-year history of the company that it has crossed the North Atlantic to compete in one of the biggest travel markets in the world.

Hayes said with its reputation in service, and low fares, JetBlue was “well-positioned” to provide “a fresh choice in transatlantic flying.”

“As the UK opens to travellers coming from America,” he added, “our flights are well timed to meet the pent up demand for travel between our two countries. We look forward to welcoming UK travellers to the US soon and launching service between Boston and London next year.”

The introduction of low-cost return tickets between London and New York could drive down transatlantic travel fares.

One daily return flight from Heathrow has been promised for August, while Gatwick flights will be introduced in September. 

Including its latest service in the UK, the airline now operates in 26 countries.