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DENVER (KDVR) — Mayor Michael Hancock will lead a government trip to Europe this week, and part of the mission includes talk of adding new international flights at Denver’s airport.

Hancock will travel with city, regional and state officials on the “economic development, tourism and trade mission” with stops planned in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Turkey. Among stated plans to meet about trade and investment opportunities will be discussions on direct air travel, according to a schedule provided on Tuesday.

While Denver International Airport offers a direct flight to London’s Heathrow airport, Ireland and Turkey are not as easy to access from the Mile High City.

In a statement, the mayor’s office said “new, direct international flights can have tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact in our city, region and state, and can help support hundreds to thousands of jobs. They also provide new markets for our local businesses to connect to and grow into, and new destinations for tourism to and from Denver, supporting one of our largest industries.”

The trip will include some of the Denver airport’s top officials. Laura Jackson, the airport’s vice president of air service development, is part of the delegation. Penny May, the executive vice president and chief commercial officer at the airport, will join the group in Istanbul. George Karayiannakis, senior vice president of airline affairs, will join the group in Dublin.

Denver delegation’s European schedule

The delegation’s trip starts in Istanbul on Thursday, where Hancock will join city and airport officials in a meeting with airline representatives “to discuss direct international air service opportunities between Denver and Turkey.”

Next, the group makes a weekend stop in London to talk about trade and investment opportunities with Denver and Colorado — and to attend the Denver Broncos game at Wembley Stadium. Then, the delegation lands in Dublin on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

While in Dublin, the group will meet with airline representatives to talk about direct air service between Denver and Ireland. Then the group returns to Denver the next day.

Howth cliff walk with some residential houses and lush green vegetation
Howth Cliff Walk in Dublin, Ireland (Credit: Getty Images)

International travel at Denver’s airport

Denver International Airport offers flights to several locations in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe and Mexico, along with a single flight to Asia that’s destined for Tokyo. Its six direct flights to Europe include service to London, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Reykjavik and Zurich.

Earlier this year, the airport announced it was exploring a future with direct flights to Africa. A committee formed to research the possibility was set to meet each quarter.