The Atlanta-based airline wants to fly to "a European capital," most likely Paris or London, Glen Hauenstein, executive vice president of network and revenue management, said Wednesday.

London is a bigger city, but Delta is leaning toward Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The French locale is a better distribution point for travelers flying to Asia, Africa and other parts of Europe, Hauenstein said.

Delta executives met last week in Atlanta with Roy Williams, director of Salt Lake City International Airport. The discussion focused on financial incentives that that the city might provide - waiving landing fees, paying for a marketing program that promotes the route, or prepurchasing tickets - to assure the carrier revenue. Hauenstein said he didn't know exactly how much money Delta would need to launch the route, but estimated a "mid-seven-figure number over several years."

"For example, a city we will be announcing in three weeks has given [Delta] $6 million," Hauenstein said. "It's not an insignificant amount of money. But it's high-risk, high-reward for everybody."

Airport officials have been talking with Delta for two years about a route to Europe. The airport has provided data showing that enough demand exists in Salt Lake and in West Coast cities that Delta serves from its Salt Lake hub.

"Delta . . . asked me to investigate what are the ways that the community could help support that service," Williams said.

"I think we're going to be hard-pressed to find anybody who has any negative thoughts about it. Everybody realizes it is a significant commitment and a significant strengthening of the hub, and so it's a very, very good thing if we can make it happen," Williams said.

Delta employs 3,900 people, including about 600 pilots, in Salt Lake.

Since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year, the airline has been cutting domestic flying and expanding its more profitable international business. Delta now has routes to 29 trans-Atlantic destinations, all originating from its hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati and New York. A Salt Lake-to-Europe route would be the first for Utah's biggest airport.

The airline has also been strengthening its service to Central and South America. Delta flies to several Mexican resorts and has asked the Department of Transportation for permission to fly to Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico. Flights would begin later this year.

Hauenstein said Delta must reach a deal with the city within two months if it is to have enough time to work through the complexities of beginning an international route from Utah next summer.

If a deal can't be struck quickly, service could not begin until the summer of 2008, he said.

The Salt Lake Chamber has wanted an air route to Europe for several years, said Craig Peterson, the group's chief operating officer.

"We have on occasion discussed with [Delta] the possibility of the business community rallying behind Delta in some format to help them secure the route and make it profitable," Peterson said.

pbeebe@sltrib.com