Visiting one of Europe’s most up-and-coming tourism destinations will become easier for United States vacationers from next spring thanks to Delta Air Lines. The carrier has announced a new route to Porto, Portugal, from New York’s JFK Airport, starting from 21 May 2026.
The direct flight from New York will be the airport’s first, giving Europe-bound flyers departing the Big Apple from JFK the same opportunity as already exists from Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, from where Tap Air Portugal and United Airlines fly to Porto. Tap also flies there directly from Boston, meaning from spring 2026, the US east coast will boast four direct flights to the historic Portuguese port city (on top of flights to Lisbon).
The boost in connectivity is expected to help Portugal beat last year’s record tourism figures, which represented a 5.2% increase year-on-year. The US is now the third largest source, with US visitor numbers hitting 2.3 million in 2024, up 11.9% – Portugal’s fastest growing market.
Porto, ranked Europe’s seventh best city to visit in 2025 by Travel + Leisure readers, is Portugal’s second most-popular destination after the capital. A centuries-old trading post on the north bank of the Douro River, near its Atlantic Ocean estuary, the city’s heart was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Aside from its own treasures, such as the cobblestoned centre, the Capela das Almas, the Clérigos Tower, the Dom Luís I Bridge, and the neo-gothic bookshop Livraria Lello, it is also the gateway to the Douro Valley wine region.
But the New York–Porto connection is not Delta’s only new European route. It has confirmed it will also be inaugurating six other new direct services to Barcelona, Madrid, Malta, Nice, Rome, and Sardinia. Paul Baldoni, Senior Vice President of Network Planning at Delta, hailed the new offer, saying, “these additions expand choice for our customers and reinforce JFK’s role as a leading global gateway.”
He added: “Delta’s new nonstop service from JFK to Porto is part of seven new European routes launching next summer, giving customers even more opportunities to experience Europe and enjoy our award-winning service and premium onboard experience.”
The Porto service will operate on a Boeing 767-300, configurated to offer four cabin experiences — Delta One (business class), with lie-flat seats, and luxurious touches from chefs in the menu and the in-flight Taittinger; Delta Premium Select (premium economy), proposing wider seats and “enhanced amenities”; as well as Delta Comfort (economy plus) and Delta Main (economy).
