Logan chief expects addition of Brussels, Madrid flights

Logan International Airport's efforts to offer more direct overseas service are gathering speed, and could soon include flights to Brussels and Madrid, Logan's top executive said yesterday.

But direct service to China, which Mayor Thomas M. Menino predicted in January could be launched by the end of this year, likely won't happen until 2008, said Thomas J. Kinton Jr., executive director of the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan.

Massport has been pushing to expand the roster of 33 international destinations served non stop from Logan, hoping Boston can tap into plans by carriers like American Airlines and Delta Air Lines to increase their international routes, which tend to be far more profitable than domestic travel.

So far this year, passengers heading to Europe and the Middle East represent about 9.4 percent of Logan's passenger volume. Overall international traffic is down 4.8 percent from a year earlier, largely because of big cuts in flights to Mexico City.

Next summer, Icelandair and Northwest Airlines plan to offer daytime flights to their European hubs in Reykjavik and Amsterdam. Both airlines already offer night flights, but many business travelers are increasingly interested in flights that leave Boston for Europe in the morning, allowing them -- with the change in time zones -- to land in Europe in the evening local time and have a night's sleep before starting the next business day.

``We also remain confident that our continuing talks with airlines will result in new service to Brussels and Madrid," Kinton told Massport's board of directors at a meeting yesterday.

Logan had daily service to Brussels starting in 1985 on Sabena, the Belgian national carrier that went bankrupt and was liquidated in 2001. A small start-up carrier, VG Airlines , offered Boston-Brussels service for about two months in 2002 before pulling out of the market because of poor sales.

Direct service to Madrid has not been available since the 1970s, Kinton said, when Spanish carrier Iberian Airlines flew non stops to and from Logan, Kinton said.

Massport is talking with Iberian about reviving the Madrid service and with American and Delta about flying to Brussels from Logan, Kinton said. Neither airline would comment on its talks with Massport. Delta has rolled out more than 20 new international destinations over the last year, but departs from its main Atlanta hub and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

International service from Logan isn't growing across the board, however. American Airlines is phasing out direct service from Logan to Shannon, Ireland, next month.

On service to China, Kinton said Massport is ``still in discussions" with Hainan Airways but thinks the service to either Beijing or Shanghai might not happen until 2008 when Hainan receives new fuel-efficient Boeing 787 jets that can make the trip cost-effective .

Also, Kinton said, ``They're not absolutely committed to Boston yet. They've said all the right things, but there isn't a commitment yet."

Peter J. Howe can be reached at howe@globe.com.