A British Airways flight taxis into Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday evening, marking the start of regular flights between Pittsburgh and London.

MOON TOWNSHIP — Pittsburgh experienced its own British Invasion Tuesday evening.

A British Airways jet touched down at Pittsburgh International Airport. The flight symbolized the start of a regular route over the pond — making it the first in two decades.

“The Brits will come, I promise you,” declared Simon Brooks, British Airways' senior vice president for North America, during a news conference at Pittsburgh International Airport celebrating the landing. “And we'll be connecting all you good people to Britain.”

The move marks the aviation company's decision to land in American cities that are deemed to be midmarket, touching down in Austin, Texas; San Jose, Calif.; Nashville, Tenn.; and New Orleans, along with Pittsburgh.

Arthur Pang, government affairs manager with PPG, took the multihour flight from London.

“A little bit of Butler in this plane,” Pang said, noting that the paint and windows were made by PPG, which has its North American Architectural Coatings headquarters in Cranberry Township.

Tuesday's touchdown in Pittsburgh signaled the start of four-times-a-week service to Heathrow Airport. It's the first regular airline service between the two cities in nearly 20 years.

Read the rest of this story in Wednesday's print edition of the Butler Eagle.

Simon Brooks, senior vice president with British Airways, speaks Tuesday evening at the Pittsburgh International Airport.