American Airlines’ new direct route between Philadelphia International Airport and Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH) is expected to have a significant economic impact on Greater Philadelphia, and officials say the offering could also boost both leisure and business travel between the two locations.

Launching June 6, the daily route is anticipated to have a $31.9 million annual economic impact on the region, including visitor spending at hotels and other outlets, according to PHL’s Chief Commercial Officer Kate Sullivan.

The Copenhagen flight, first announced in August 2023, is the first flight from PHL into Scandinavia, the European region encompassing Denmark, Sweden and Norway, since 2019.

Copenhagen is the second largest city in Scandinavia, so Sullivan added that the route — running through Oct. 5 — will connect Philadelphia and the Eastern U.S. not only to Denmark, but also to Sweden, Norway and Finland. It is expected to funnel more U.S. travelers going to those countries via Copenhagen to Philadelphia, which serves as a transatlantic gateway for American.

Jesper Moller Sorensen, the Danish ambassador to the U.S., also believes the route presents new opportunities for both sides of the Atlantic. He told the Business Journal that past evidence from other U.S. cities shows that direct routes, which are especially attractive because they cut down on travel time, typically increase trade and investments between two destinations.

“All analysis says that when you open a direct flight, it always opens some new opportunities for tourism for normal citizens, and I think certainly for the business community,” Moller Sorensen said.

The ambassador visited Philadelphia on May 20 to discern exactly what opportunity the city has for Danish travelers and corporations. He met with local tourism and business officials and plans to relay what he learned from the trip to businesses and other stakeholders in Denmark.  

One industry in particular stands out across both locales in terms of opportunity: the life sciences. Both Greater Philadelphia and Denmark are home to well-established and growing life sciences sectors, and there are already some connections linking the two. For example, pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, the maker of diabetes drug Ozempic, has its global headquarters outside of Copenhagen and its U.S. headquarters just outside of Princeton, New Jersey.