The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Jan. 12
Canadian ULCC Lynx Air will add Quebec City to its network from June 6. The carrier intends to offer 10X-weekly flights from Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport to Calgary International Airport (YYC). Six of the services will operate as a “through flight” to Vancouver International Airport via YYC. “Our strategy is to fly to destinations where airfares are high, and low-cost options are limited, and Quebec City, the capital city of Quebec, will be another opportunity for Lynx to expand in the east and serve these high-fare markets,” says Vijay Bathija, chief commercial officer of Lynx.
Tajikistan-based carrier Somon Air is opening new routes from Khujand to Dubai; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Istanbul. The first of the three new routes to Dubai will start on Feb. 4, operating once a week on Sundays. Flights to Jeddah will start two days later, operating on Tuesdays, while a 1X-weekly service on Thursdays to Istanbul is scheduled for March 7. Additionally, starting Jan. 22, Somon Air will increase flights from Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe to Almaty, Kazakhstan, up to three times a week. The carrier will also offer 3X-weekly frequencies between Dushanbe and Tashkent from Jan. 24.
Jetstar Japan has confirmed two additions to its network. Flights from Osaka Kansai to Taipei Taoyuan, in Taiwan, will begin on March 31, operating daily using Airbus A320s. The LCC last served the market in February 2019, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows. The airline also intends to introduce a Fukuoka-Sapporo New Chitose route on March 31. Frequencies will be daily aboard A320s.
Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aéreas is resuming domestic service between Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont Airport and Brasília Airport as of Jan. 15. There will be 3X-daily frequencies using Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft. On March 31, the carrier will expand the schedule to 6X-daily. Additionally, GOL plans to launch a 3X-weekly domestic Salvador-Vitoria da Conquista service on Feb. 19. Frequencies will rise to 4X-weekly during April.
Viva Aerobus has added five new domestic routes from Mexico City’s Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU). Service has commenced to Chihuahua, Huatulco, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Tampico. The ULCC says it intends to offer more than 4.5 million seats from NLU this year across 19 routes.
Chinese carrier Juneyao Air has scheduled the opening of a daily Shanghai Pudong-Bali service from Jan. 20. Flights will be offered using a mix of Airbus A320neo and Boeing 787-9 equipment.
Jan. 11
Air Serbia is opening a new route between Belgrade and Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from April through October. Flights will operate three times a week on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, using Embraer E175 aircraft. “At the end of 2023, Air Serbia responded to the public call for the establishment of scheduled flights for 2024, announced by Mostar Airport, in connection with the introduction of a direct service between Belgrade and Mostar,” says Boško Rupić, general manager for commercial and strategy at Air Serbia. “In the first days of January, the decision was made to accept our offer. Once technical details and contract signing are finalized, fares will be published—presumably in the coming weeks.”
Qatar Airways is scheduled to resume a 3X-weekly service connecting Doha with Malaga, Spain, on March 25. The route will operate using Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
IndiGo has commenced operations between Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, and Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, effective from Jan. 11. This marks IndiGo’s second route from Ayodhya, enhancing connectivity with the newly inaugurated airport. IndiGo had previously started operations between New Delhi and Ayodhya earlier this week. Service to Mumbai will also start on Jan. 15.
Winair, a government-owned Dutch airline based in Sint Maarten, has announced several changes to its network from Jan. 15. Service from Sint Maarten to Antigua, Beef Island, Dominica and Saint Kitts will each rise from 2X to 3X-daily. Additionally, Winair will operate Antigua-Saint Kitts 2X-weekly; Antigua-Beef Island 5X-weekly; Antigua-Dominica 5X-weekly; Saint Kitts-Dominica 2X-weekly; and Saint Kitts-Beef Island 2X-weekly.
Jan. 10
Thai Airways is planning to recommence its daily service between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport and Perth Airport (PER), Australia, from March 31. Flights will be operated using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. "With Thailand being Western Australia’s eighth-largest trading partner and a significant market for international students, the resumption of nonstop flights provides a massive opportunity for both our economies,” says Kate Holsgrove, PER chief commercial and aviation officer. “The return of this service means tourists, students and businesses have the option of a nonstop connection to Bangkok, which will deliver a significant 186,368 seats and 14,000 [metric tons] of cargo capacity to the Perth market annually.”
Norwegian plans to introduce four new routes from Milan Bergamo. Starting Jan. 16, the carrier will inaugurate 2X-weekly flights to Tromso, while 4X-weekly services to Copenhagen will be introduced from March 31. On May 18, the airline will commence 2X-weekly operations to Stavanger in southwestern Norway. Three flights per week to Helsinki will start on June 2, operating alongside seasonal Oslo and Bergen operations launched last year.
Canada’s Lynx Air is adding a new domestic destination to its network. Service between Charlottetown Airport (YYG) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) will initially operate four times per week from May 30, with a through-service to Calgary International Airport (YYC). Frequencies will then increase to 6X-weekly from June 10. Charlottetown is the capital of Canada’s Prince Edward Island.
SunExpress is launching three routes from Türkiye to London Stansted Airport during the northern summer 2024 season. Flights from Antalya will commence on March 29, initially operating four times per week before increasing to daily from May. Weekly operations from Gaziantep begin on April 2, followed by Adana from May 24. All three routes will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Jan. 9
Aeromexico has launched a new nonstop service between Guadalajara and Atlanta. Flights on the route will be daily using Embraer E190 aircraft. “This new route is a very good indicator that Guadalajara is an attractive destination, both for tourism and for business,” Jalisco’s Secretary of Tourism Vanessa Pérez Lamas says. In the 11 months to the end of November 2023, Guadalajara Airport handled more than 7.9 million passengers, marking a rise of 14.8% on the same period in 2022 and up by 19.3% on 2019 levels.
Ryanair has announced plans to increase frequencies on three routes from Slovakia’s capital Bratislava during the summer 2024 season to Dublin; Eindhoven, the Netherlands; and London Stansted. The ULCC’s schedule from Bratislava Airport will comprise two based aircraft, routes to 21 destinations and more than 130 weekly flights.
El Al Israel Airlines has filed plans to resume flights to Tokyo Narita International Airport for the first time since October 2023. Service will resume on March 6, operating four times per week. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows the 5,717-mi. (4,968-nm) route will be operated using a mix of Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s.
Jan. 8
Jet2.com has brought forward the launch of its new route from England's Manchester Airport (MAN) to Porto, Portugal. Service between the destinations was due to commence during summer 2025, but will now start on July 4, 2024. Flights will be offered twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays until Nov. 3. The move means the UK leisure carrier now has 59 destinations on sale from MAN this summer.
InterCaribbean Airways is to launch flights connecting Bridgetown, Barbados, and Kingston, Jamaica. Service will start on Feb. 6, operating three times per week using CRJ700 aircraft. “We are proud to introduce this nonstop service, which is a direct response to the growing need for improved travel connectivity in the Caribbean,” interCaribbean CEO Trevor Sadler says.
Iraqi Airways has confirmed plans to resume flights to Malaysia. A weekly Baghdad-Kuala Lumpur service will operate from Feb. 1 using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that the airline last offered scheduled service to Malaysia in August 2020.
Indian LCC IndiGo has commenced operations from the newly inaugurated Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The first flight to New Delhi operated on Jan. 6. Ayodhya becomes the 86th domestic destination and the 118th overall destination in the airline’s network.
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