Transatlantic Birmingham flights to US and Canada suspended

In a statement released on Tuesday, the operator said the suspension of the flights was a result of the "ongoing late delivery of long-haul A321neo aircraft from Airbus"

Some transatlantic flights from one of the UK's busiest airports have been suspended until next year due to the late delivery of new planes.

The flights, run by operator Primera Air and departing from Birmingham to New York had been running since May, while the flights to Toronto were expected to start on 26 June.

Customers booked on flights from 21 June, when the suspension starts, will receive refunds or transfers.

Birmingham Airport has apologised.

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In a statement Primera Air said the suspension of the flights, which is due to last until 2019, was a result of the "ongoing late delivery of long-haul A321neo aircraft from Airbus".

Andri Már Ingólfsson, CEO of Primera Air, added: "Unfortunately we did not anticipate such severe Airbus delays and the hold-up has meant we are forced to make this difficult and disappointing decision."

Airbus has been contacted to comment.

According to its website, the A321neo single-aisle jetliner has "expanded seating capacity" of 244 seats thanks to "optimised use of cabin space and a new cabin door configuration".

Primera Air said it plans to reinstate transatlantic services next year once the aircraft is available and that the "announcement does not affect short-haul services in operation from Birmingham".

It is not yet known whether the delay to the delivery of the new planes will affect any other airports however, the operator said the "decision does not affect any of Primera Air's transatlantic routes from London Stansted Airport".

Birmingham Airport said the suspension was a "temporary measure" and that the take-up of the New York flights since their launch last month, had been "positive"

Birmingham Airport said the suspension was a "temporary measure".

It added that the take-up of the New York flights, since their launch last month, had been "positive".