Takeoff! First-ever direct service from San Antonio to Europe takes flight

SAN ANTONIO — The initial flight from San Antonio International Airport to Europe hit the skies Friday night, taking passengers 5,400 miles to Germany and marking the first-ever international service directly from the Alamo City. 

Condor Flight 2137 left at 8:35 p.m., with the capacity to carry 310 passengers aboard an Airbus A330-900neo. Remaining economy seats were going for $700 round trip to Frankfurt on Friday morning; flight time is about 10 and a half hours.

The Airbus' size allows 216 passengers to fly economy, 64 to fly premium economy and 30 to fly business class. Frankfurt is a major hub for connecting flights to other countries abroad, making international travel that much easier for San Antonians. 

The day has been highly anticipated since the flights were first announced back in September, where it was revealed the German airline Condor was providing the nonstop service. The airline has been servicing travelers since 1956. 

Airport officials say the service could also mean more tourism and money flowing into San Antonio's economy. 

"(It's a) historic day for San Antonio, our first-ever transatlantic flight," said Jacob Tyler, chief air service development officer for the airport. "Typically when an airline decides to fly to Europe for the first time from a city of our size, you usually start it off in the summertime when there is the most demand and see how the community reacts to it." 

The flights operating on a season basis, and are currently being offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Sept. 6. 

More good news could be coming later this year for San Antonio International, which hopes to be awarded one of five new round-trip daily flights to Reagan Washington National Airport - located just a few miles from Capitol Hill - following Congress' passage of the $105 billion FAA Reauthorization Bill.