Rhodri Morgan is keen to forge links with the US

It is hoped the airline will agree to fly three times a week from Cardiff to New York.

Welsh Assembly First Minister Rhodri Morgan claimed the flights would have a "significant effect" on tourism in Wales.

The lack of a direct link means that US tourists arriving at airports in London or elsewhere in the UK may never visit Wales.

Mr Morgan said: "It would be great if a big name American airline take on the route.

"The American package holiday market is a big loser for the Welsh tourist industry at the moment.

"If you could get a quarter of those tourists to come to Wales the benefits would be huge."

Mr Morgan visited New York in early March to promote Welsh business and tourism.

Heathrow airport is becoming overcrowded

During his three-day visit to the city, he announced that New York would be the home of the assembly's first Wales International Centre, to be set up later in 2002.

Golf fans were among those targetted during the mission.

A Cardiff-New York route could prove popular in the run-up to the 2010 Ryder Cup in Newport.

The ambitious plans come at a time when London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports are running out of capacity.

Airlines are seeking cheaper, less congested airports to fly from.

Cardiff International Airport handles 1.5m passengers annually and is one of the most successful regional airports.

It was put on standby in September 2001 to handle transatlantic flights diverted due to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC.

But it has been criticised for its lack of a regular scheduled service to the US.

Air Wales was hoping to fly to New York

In March 2001, the fledgling Air Wales announced it was considering running scheduled services from Cardiff to New York's Newark International Airport.

But the Cardiff-based company has found it hard to expand since it was launched in 1999.

Air Wales currently offers scheduled services between south Wales and Ireland, on its Cardiff-Cork and Swansea-Dublin routes.

A short-lived Cardiff-Manchester route was abandoned in August 2001 due to lack of interest.