FILE PHOTO: British Airways aircraft taxi at Heathrow Airport near London, Britain October 11, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth /File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways said on Tuesday it would start flying flights to Nashville from London in May 2018, the first direct route to the city from Europe.

The service will fly five times a week from Heathrow’s Terminal 5, and will be operated with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

The new route means that British Airways will fly to 26 U.S. destinations from summer 2018. The airline said it would also increase its service to Philadelphia and Phoenix to 10 flights a week from a daily service.