British Airways is set to introduce new flights between Europe and the USA next summer, according to reports.

The airline's first services under the open skies agreement between the two regions will include flights from cities such as Paris, Brussels and Madrid to JFK Airport in New York, an article in the Sunday Times states.

According to the newspaper, the flights will comprise a minimum of two classes, rather than being business class-only as previously reported.

The open skies agreement signed earlier this year is expected to open up the market for transatlantic flights from Europe to a significant extent, attracting an estimated 26 million passengers to the new routes.

Last week, the Times reported that Virgin Atlantic and bmi have applied for permission to partner with US airlines in a bid to launch their own schedule of Europe-USA flights, including those taking off from Heathrow Airport.

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