The state tourism money would be matched by funds from the Salt Lake City Airport Authority. The Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau has pledged to kick in another $150,000.

The $650,000 package would be used in two ways - to advertise throughout the Intermountain West that a nonstop connection links Salt Lake City and Europe, and to generate publicity in Europe that a direct flight from Paris can bring visitors close to Utah's ski slopes and national parks.

This financial commitment reinforced a letter-writing campaign launched last week by Utah government and business leaders encouraging Delta to establish the route. A Delta official recently told The Salt Lake Tribune the airline needs community financial support amounting to a "mid-seven-figure number over several years" to take the risk of international service.

Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said Tuesday the funding package was "a good start," but was uncertain when the airline would decide on whether to add the route. Tuesday's discussions centered on a Paris route, although London also has been mentioned by the airline.

To inaugurate a flight to either city in the 2007 summer-travel season requires action soon, although Laughlin noted "the summer of 2008 is feasible, too. Certainly, news of this kind of support is promising and a signal that the community is interested in partnering with Delta."

The Board of Tourism Development did not hesitate before pledging its financial support in a meeting conducted by conference call.

"This is a great investment," said board member Bob Bonar, also president of Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort. Added board member Frank Jones: "I didn't realize how big [Charles] de Gaulle International Airport is. People could get to Salt Lake from almost any city in the world."

How big? "It's the largest hub in the world in terms of spokes," said Salt Lake City International Airport executive director Roy Williams. "It's the hub for 250 nonstop destinations . . . all over Europe, Asia and Africa."

Williams said Delta has aircraft capable of making the flight from Salt Lake City to Paris and there are no legal impediments to adding a trans-Atlantic route. The big question: Can Delta fill planes consistently with enough passengers to make the flight profitable.

That's where the state, county and city partnership comes into play.

"People are not accustomed to going to Europe by way of Salt Lake City," said Williams. "How do we educate the person in Spokane, Albuquerque or Reno that there is a new service that is more convenient to go to Europe? How do we interest the flier in Budapest, Asia and Africa that there's a new way to get to the Intermountain West."

Office of Tourism Director Leigh von der Esch said the $650,000 could be used to advertise the trans-Atlantic flight in promotions in the seven Western states that generate most of Utah's tourism.

To inform the European market, Utah officials would concentrate on showing European journalists and tour-group operators how a flight to Salt Lake City affords quick access to national parks and ski areas. The state also could work with VisitUSA, a travel company that already helps the state in Germany, Japan and England.

Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau President Scott Beck said the flight would position Utah's capital as "the gateway to the western U.S., with Yellowstone on the north and Utah's beautiful red-rock parks on the south." Even if international skiers account for only 3 percent of Utah's ski business, he added, those visitors are big spenders.

Getting more of them appeals to Ski Utah executive Nathan Rafferty.

"One thing that has held us back from more international business is the lack of a nonstop flight from Europe," he said.

"So it's a no-brainer. The benefits to us are obvious."

mikeg@sltrib.com