Central Florida travelers planning a European getaway will soon have more options departing from the Orlando International Airport, with new direct flights available, or coming soon, to Madrid, Munich and Paris.

The airport also wants to establish its first nonstop route to east Asia with a direct flight to South Korea.

The additional flights will create more competition and could open up some good deals with airlines offering introductory fares, said Nick Ewen, senior editorial director at The Points Guy, a travel website.

“It’s great for the Central Florida market not just from a visitors’ perspective, so international tourists coming in, but also giving Floridians easier access to these destinations,” Ewen said.

Growing international flights has been an airport priority, especially since the opening of its new Terminal C in 2022. But Orlando’s airport faces some challenges — it’s not a regional hub like Atlanta or Miami — and the airline industry overall is encountering uncertainty as President Donald Trump administration’s immigration and trade policy potentially affect travel demand.

Discover Airlines launched its long-haul service on March 5 to Munich. The thrice-weekly, year-round route will join existing direct flights to Frankfurt, Germany.

Starting May 21, Air France will resume direct flights from Paris to Orlando after more than a decade, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The airline stopped service to Orlando in 2012.

Starting Oct. 26, Iberia is launching four weekly flights to Madrid , adding Spain to the Orlando airport’s list of international destinations with service on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Jetsetters have a variety of other direct routes from Orlando to Europe, including Dublin, Ireland; Reykjavík, Iceland, and Edinburgh, London and Manchester in the United Kingdom.

In total, the Orlando airport offers nonstop service to 60 international destinations , including Canada, Mexico and Central and South America. Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is the only nonstop destination in Asia.

In January, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority and Osceola County signed a partnership with Incheon International Airport that seeks to establish direct flights to Seoul, South Korea.

Kevin Thibault, the outgoing CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, thinks Central Florida’s growth — from Port Canaveral cruise lines to The Villages mega-retirement community — is fueling demand for additional routes, making Orlando an appealing destination for airlines.

“Here they see the numbers. … We’ve got multiple buses a day coming in from The Villages,” Thibault said. “Those people are going to travel international, so they’re creating some of that demand.”

With nearly 58 million passengers, the Orlando airport is Florida’s busiest and the seventh busiest in the United States.

Airport officials are betting big on continued travel growth. In 2022, they opened the $2.8 billion Terminal C , which is anchored by a variety of international airlines. Brightline’s station at the airport also now allows international visitors to travel via train to Miami and, eventually, to Tampa.

More global connections will boost tourism and attract investment in Central Florida, said Tim Giuliani, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership, a community development organization.

“These new direct flights strengthen the Orlando region’s role as a global hub for business, trade, and innovation,” he said, adding that they are the result of a collaboration between the airport, local government, business leaders and other regional partners.

Orlando has some issues that could restrict its international options, Ewen said. The city isn’t a regional airline hub like Atlanta or Miami with a multitude of connecting flights to other destinations.

“That’s potentially what has limited Orlando’s opportunity to grab some of these international flights,” Ewen said. “The business case has to be there for that direct traffic, because most passengers that are going to be flying from, say, Paris or from Munich are likely going to be terminating their trip in Orlando.”

The travel industry is also monitoring the effect of Trump’s tariffs and trade agenda.

Tourism Economics, a travel forecasting company, expects the number of people arriving in the United States from abroad to decline by 9.4% this year, The Associated Press reported .

The group cited concerns about economic pressures, currency exchange rate shifts and changes in travel sentiment.