Northwest Airlines will launch non-stop international flights between Portland International Airport and Amsterdam, starting in March of 2008.

The Port of Portland and Northwest Airlines confirmed the plans during a press conference late Tuesday morning. The CEO for Northwest said it would bring a projected $100 million a year in increased economic support.

Northwest will continue its PDX expansion with the new non-stop service to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, where the airline operates its European hub.

Northwest has expanded its PDX service dramatically in the last few years, adding daily non-stop service from PDX to Tokyo Narita in Japan, and daily flights from PDX to Honolulu, Hawaii.

Additionally, Northwest flies from PDX to its hubs in both Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Lufthansa German Airlines operates PDX's only current trans-Atlantic flight, with non-stop service from Portland to Frankfurt.

PDX is in the midst of major international expansion.

Since 2001, when Delta closed its Portland hub and ended its service to Asia, airlines have added seven new international routes, including non-stop flights to Tokyo, Japan; Frankfurt, Germany; Guadalajara, Mexico; Mexico City, Mexico; Los Cabos, Mexico; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and now, Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Northwest currently flies between Amsterdam and Boston, Detroit, Hartford, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mumbai, India, and Seattle.