Aug. 4
Air Serbia and JetBlue Airways have confirmed the launch of a codeshare agreement. Serbia’s national carrier will now display is JU code on 25 destinations across JetBlue’s network. Meanwhile, JetBlue will place its B6 code on Air Serbia-operated flights from Serbia's capital Belgrade to Chicago O’Hare and New York John F. Kennedy. Additionally, JetBlue hopes to place its code on more flights within Air Serbia’s European network in the future. "Air Serbia has been a successful interline partner since 2016, and we see great potential with this new codeshare,” JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes says. As previously reported, the U.S. Transportation Department approved the codeshare plans in June.
Southwest Airlines has announced plans to launch three new seasonal services next March. Starting March 9, 2024, the airline intends to add new routes between Austin, Texas, and San Juan, Puerto Rico; Baltimore-Washington and Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize; and St. Louis and Los Cabos, Mexico. Each of the routes will be operated once a week on Saturdays. Other seasonal routes set to return to the carrier’s network from next March include Baltimore-Grand Cayman; Austin-Cozumel; and St. Louis-Punta Cana.
LATAM Airlines Brasil is to launch a 2X-weekly Rio de Janeiro Galeao-Caxias do Sul service. The domestic route will launch on Nov. 4. At present, the airline offers one route from Caxias do Sul, flying daily to Sao Paulo Guarulhos using a mix of Airbus A319s and A320s. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows the carrier will compete in the Rio de Janeiro Galeao-Caxias do Sul market with GOL Linhas Aereas, which provides two flights per week onboard Boeing 737-800s.
Aug. 3
British Airways (BA) is expanding its short-haul route network with new destinations. Starting from Oct. 29, BA will offer a 3X-weekly service from London Heathrow (LHR) to Riga, Latvia, and a 3X-weekly service to Belgrade, Serbia, from Oct. 31. Additionally, BA plans to serve Cologne 12X-weekly from LHR, starting Oct. 30. These routes will be operated by a mix of Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. BA Cityflyer, BA’s subsidiary based at London City Airport, will introduce a weekly service to Milan Linate Airport from Nov. 5, using Embraer 190s. Weekly winter flights from LHR to Turin, Italy, will be available from Dec. 10. Moreover, BA Cityflyer's route to San Sebastian, Spain, will be extended into the winter season with direct flights on Thursdays and Sundays. BA's services from LHR to Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport will also become year-round, each operating 4X-weekly.
LATAM Airlines Group has launched a new nonstop service between São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) and Los Angeles (LAX), becoming the carrier’s 22nd international destination from Brazil and fifth in the U.S. The direct flight between GRU and LAX takes 12 hours and will be offered three times per week using Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline expects to transport about 110,000 travelers per year between the destinations, representing nearly 65% of the number of Brazilian tourists the Los Angeles Tourism Economics Forecast predicts will visit the city in 2024.
TAAG Angola Airlines is responding to market demand and promoting trade between Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by adding an extra frequency on the Luanda-Kinshasa route linking Angola and the DRC's capital cities. Starting from Aug. 14, the route will have four weekly flights, boosting connectivity between the two countries. Angola shares an extensive border with the DRC, and there is a significant flow of bilateral trade.
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) has confirmed that Southwest Airlines plans to increase frequencies to San Diego from once daily to twice daily in October. American Airlines will also expand Dallas-Fort Worth service to 13X-daily, increasing the number of weekly seats available by about 3,600. SAT saw its busiest day ever on July 21 with 41,560 passengers flying in and out of the airport, according to Transportation Safety Administration throughput data. The previous record was set on March 8, 2019, when an estimated 37,998 passengers flew in and out of SAT.
Irish ULCC Ryanair is adding extra Dublin-Manchester, England, and Dublin-Liverpool, England, flights ahead of the new Premier League soccer season starting on Aug. 11. “We’ve had record bookings from football fans,” Ryanair’s Head of Communications Jade Kirwan says.
Vietjet has operated the first nonstop flight connecting Seoul and the ancient city of Hue in Vietnam. This charter flight brought Korean tourists to the newly launched terminal at Phu Bai International Airport in Thua Thien Hue Province. Seoul Incheon is the second international destination that Vietjet has added to the new terminal following the launch of flights to Kunming, China.
Aug. 2
Thirteen new routes are being added to Flair Airlines’ winter 2023-24 schedule, the carrier has confirmed. The Canadian ULCC intends to add service to Cancun, Las Vegas and Florida's Orlando-Sanford, offering more flights to warm-weather destinations. “This will be our most robust network to sun ever,” President and CEO Stephen Jones says.
Indian regional carrier Star Air says it has been awarded 40 new routes under the country’s UDAN connectivity scheme. New domestic routes set to be launched by the airline include Nanded-Hindon and Hindon-Adampur. “These 40 new routes are a testament to our commitment to providing efficient and accessible air travel options for all,” Chairman Sanjay Ghodawat says. Star Air expects the expansion to add up to eight new destinations in its network.
Avianca is launching new routes from Colombia’s capital Bogotá to destinations in Honduras and Peru. Commencing Oct. 28, the carrier will serve Tegucigalpa, Honduras, six times per week and Cusco, Peru, eight times per week. Both routes will operate using Airbus A320s.
Air China has returned to Munich Airport after an absence of more than three years. The airline has resumed daily service from Beijing Capital using Boeing B777-300ER equipment. It last served the German city in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.
Aug. 1
Canada’s WestJet plans to launch two new services to Mexico from Abbotsford during the northern winter 2023-24 season. Weekly flights to Los Cabos will start on Dec. 4, and a 2X-weekly route to Puerto Vallarta will commence the next day. Flights will be operated by Boeing 737-800 aircraft. “Abbotsford was integral to Swoop's success and remains a valuable part of the WestJet Group's future,” says Executive Vice President and CCO John Weatherill. “As we work through this transitionary period, WestJet's service from Abbotsford will be centered on our strategic focus of providing non-stop connectivity to the sun destinations we know our guests rely on us for to escape the winter cold.”
Argentinian LCC Flybondi plans to resume a 2X-weekly service from Buenos Aires to Florianopolis, Brazil. Flights will start on Sept. 3. The airline said frequencies will increase to daily in December. In addition to Florianópolis, Flybondi serves two other destinations in Brazil throughout the year: Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
AirAsia is set to boost flights between Malaysia and China following “a significant rebound in demand.” The average load factor on AirAsia Malaysia and AirAsia X Malaysia flights to/from China was about 80% in July. Several of the strongest performing routes are Kuala Lumpur-Shanghai, Kota Kinabalu-Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur-Nanning and Kota Kinabalu-Wuhan. AirAsia Malaysia plans to resume a route from Kota Kinabalu to Hangzhou starting with three flights per week beginning Sept 2. AirAsia X Malaysia will be increasing services from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing Daxing from four to five flights weekly beginning Sept. 1; from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai from four to seven flights weekly commencing Sept. 15; and from Kuala Lumpur to Hangzhou from three to four flights weekly Sept. 30.
From Aug. 3, U.S. startup Northern Pacific Airways plans to increase service between Ontario, California, and Las Vegas. Frequencies will rise from 1X-weekly to 3X-weekly. The airline launched commercial operations in July.
UK leisure carrier Jet2.com’s summer 2024 program will include three additional routes. Service from Birmingham, England, to Tivat, Montenegro, will be weekly from May 2, 2024, increasing to 2X-weekly from July 1 next year. Flights from Birmingham to Mytilini, Greece, will also start on May 26, operating 1X-weekly through Oct. 6. Finally, Glasgow, Scotland, will be connected to Verona, Italy, with a 1X-weekly service from May 8.
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