Two years after operating its first direct flight to New York, a HiSky aircraft will take off from Bucharest to another destination on the North American continent. Chicago becomes the second U.S. city to which the airline resumes direct flights, 24 years after the suspension of this route. Starting June next year, travelers from Romania and the wider region will be able to reach the major metropolis in the heart of America non-stop, with two weekly frequencies, every Thursday and Sunday. The first flight is scheduled for June 4, 2026.
With the launch scheduled for the summer of 2026, HiSky will become the only airline to operate both direct connections between Romania and the United States, a development that represents not only a natural continuation of its long-haul network expansion, but also its positioning as a leading Eastern European operator on the segment of nonstop flights to North America.
“What some called risk, we called vision, and it turns out we were right. Two years ago, we trusted in our passengers’ need to travel quickly, safely and comfortably across the ocean and we embraced this role of pioneers. After the results of the first year of operations on the New York route, with the same confidence, we are ready to become the airline that operates both direct connections with the U.S.
For this second transatlantic service, we chose a destination of great interest not only for tourists and the business community, but also for the diaspora. The Romanian and Moldovan community in Chicago is one of the largest and most established in the United States and, considering that nearly 25 years have passed since the last direct flights, we realize that an entire generation has lacked the chance to maintain this direct link with the homeland,” said Iulian Scorpan, CEO HiSky.
The new route will be integrated into the airline’s own connection system, allowing passengers from across Romania and the Republic of Moldova to reach Chicago with a single booking. The same facility will be available to travelers departing from Tel Aviv, Israel. The Bucharest – Chicago flight is scheduled to depart at 09:00, and the HiSky flight timetable from Timișoara, Cluj, Oradea, Chișinău and Tel Aviv has been adjusted so that passengers departing from these cities benefit from a fast transfer, with baggage checked through directly to their final destination.
The flight time from Bucharest to Chicago is 10 hours and 50 minutes, while the return flight takes 9 hours and 50 minutes. Thus, the total travel time for passengers departing from Chișinău or major cities in Romania, including the connection through Bucharest, does not exceed 13 hours. This positions Bucharest Otopeni Airport as a regional hub for flights to the United States.
HiSky is currently the second-largest Romanian airline by number of passengers carried, ranking immediately after the national operator. Founded in 2021, the company reached the milestone of 5 million passengers transported in June of this year. With a fleet of eight Airbus aircraft, HiSky operates regular flights from seven airports in Romania and the Republic of Moldova – Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Oradea, Iași, Baia Mare and Chișinău – to destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North America, as well as charter services to major vacation destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa.
In 2024, the airline launched its first direct transatlantic route to New York, after a 20-year hiatus, operating five weekly frequencies from Henri Coandă International Airport, boldly taking on Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Turkish Airlines and LOT Polish, who have been among the dominant players in the transatlantic air routes from several countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania, with a stop-over at their hubs.
Bucharest – New York JFK return (19/30 January, 2026), H4 101, A330-243, flight duration 09.00 hrs Business Class €2,402.98; by comparison, same dates and rather similar aircraft KLM from Bucharest to New York JFK via Amsterdam Schiphol, flight duration 11.45 hrs at at similar timetable, is at €5,869 return Business Class – with the advantage of a flat bed (HiSky’s A330 does not have a flat bed).
HiSky Airbus 330-200, YR-KID
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