Sunita Somvanshi
Sonali Tiwary
Delta Air Lines is cutting its long-standing New York JFK to Brussels, Belgium route after 34 years of service. The final flight will depart JFK on January 5, 2026, with the return leg from Brussels operating on January 6, 2026, the airline confirmed to aviation news outlet AirlineGeeks.
“Delta will transition its Brussels service to Atlanta beginning March 8, 2026, to better align with customer demand,” a Delta spokesperson said. The airline apologized for any inconvenience and stated affected customers will be notified directly.
The route change creates a two-month gap in Delta’s Brussels service. When flights resume from Atlanta in March, they will operate four times weekly before increasing to daily service between April and October 2026.
Delta’s JFK-Brussels route began in 1991, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data. The service was temporarily paused during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022 but later resumed. Currently, the route operates using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.
This marks Delta’s second major transatlantic retreat from New York in about a year, following the earlier suspension of its Munich route. Both Brussels and Munich are Lufthansa Group hubs.
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For travelers needing direct service between New York and Brussels after January 2026, Brussels Airlines will remain the only carrier offering nonstop flights from JFK. United Airlines also flies to Brussels from nearby Newark Liberty International Airport.
The move comes as Delta has identified Europe as its weakest-performing region in recent months. Delta executives noted softer economic demand and shifting travel patterns, with peak travel moving to June and fall months rather than traditional summer periods.
Industry analysts point to Delta’s strategy of consolidating its European flights at hubs with stronger domestic connections. Atlanta, as Delta’s largest hub, offers connections to over 210 destinations, significantly more than JFK’s fewer than 80 direct destinations.
The route shift aligns with Delta’s broader 2025-2026 transatlantic strategy. Last year, Delta announced its “largest-ever transatlantic summer schedule” for 2025, which had included Atlanta-Brussels as a complement to the JFK service rather than a replacement.
For passengers holding reservations after January 5, 2026, Delta says it will contact customers directly about rebooking options, which may include connections through Atlanta once the new service begins or through European partner hubs like Paris or Amsterdam.
