The Asia-Pacific region will see a number of eye-catching new long-haul additions both into and out of the region over the coming weeks, including new routes being launched by Air Canada, Hainan Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Vistara and Zipair Tokyo.
Air Canada will introduce nonstop flights between Vancouver International Airport and Singapore’s Changi International Airport from April 3, marking the airline’s return to the Singapore market after more than three decades. Flights will be 4X-weekly using the carrier’s Boeing 787-9 fleet.
The move reinstates nonstop connectivity between Singapore and Canada after Air Canada’s Star Alliance partner Singapore Airlines ended its 3X-weekly service last September. The carrier first launched the route in December 2021.
Hainan Airlines is also growing its long-haul network in March with flights to Milan Malpensa Airport. The airline launched flights to the Italian city from Shenzhen last November and will now add service from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. Flights will commence on March 19, operating twice a week onboard 787-9s. The launch increases its European network to 15 routes, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows.
Bengaluru will become Virgin Atlantic’s third destination in India from March 31, alongside New Delhi and Mumbai, with the opening of a new line from London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Operations will be daily using 787-9s. Virgin, which signed a codeshare partnership with Indian LCC IndiGo in August 2022, will rival British Airways on the sector.
Vistara is also increasing India-Europe connectivity with the inauguration of a Mumbai-Paris Charles de Gaulle route. Frequencies will be five times per week from March 28 using 787-9s in a three-class configuration.
The carrier, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, commenced regular long-haul service from Mumbai in June 2023 with a route to LHR. This was followed by flights to Frankfurt Airport in November.
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Meanwhile, Japan Airlines subsidiary Zipair will start a 3X-weekly Tokyo Narita (NRT)-Vancouver service from March 13, becoming the LCC’s ninth international destination and fifth in North America. All Nippon Airways’ new low-cost rival AirJapan will also open its second route on Feb. 22, linking NRT and Seoul Incheon. This follows the airline’s first commercial service to Bangkok on Feb. 9.
Elsewhere, Chinese carriers China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines are also launching their first regular nonstop services to Saudi Arabia. China Eastern’s route will commence on April 8, connecting its Shanghai Pudong International Airport hub and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH). The 4,509-mi. (3,918-nm) sector will be served three times per week using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. China Southern will also fly to RUH, operating 2X-weekly from Beijing Daxing starting April 16.
Other new routes in the Asia-Pacific region set to launch include Garuda Indonesia’s plans to open daily flights between Jakarta and Doha, Qatar, from April 4. The airline will operate the route using 777-300s, joining codeshare partner Qatar Airways on the route. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways is also expanding, with daily flights to Osaka, Japan, beginning on March 1. AirAsia X will also inaugurate its first route to Central Asia on March 14, flying four times per week between Kuala Lumpur and Kazakhstan's Almaty International Airport with A330 equipment.
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