Delta Air Lines will be operating a special flight between its Atlanta-Hartsfield (ATL) hub and Deauville airport (DOL), in Normandie, France, on June 2, 2024.
On board the flight, which will be operated by a Boeing 767-300, will be 60 Second World War veterans returning to the battlefields where they fought in their youth. The flight will commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the 1944 Normandy landings that marked the start of the liberation of Northern Europe.
The initiative, which is now in its third year, is supported by the Best Defense Foundation, a nonprofit institution in the United States that looks after war veterans, as well as Michelin North America, the US subsidiary of the French tire maker, and Delta Air Lines.
The airline is assigning 15 members of staff, who are members of the Veteran Business Resource Group, to look after the elderly veterans during the trip. Delta is also launching a volunteer program through which its employees will be able to pair with a veteran to build a relationship and offer support throughout the year.
During their stay in France the veterans will be celebrated at multiple public remembrance ceremonies and other public events, such as school visits and parades. The return flight from Normandy to the US is scheduled for June 12, 2024.