The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Aug. 23
Qatar Airways and Maldives-based carrier Maldivian have signed a new interline partnership. The agreement means Qatar Airways passengers will now have access to 17 domestic destinations in the Maldives, including Dharavandhoo, Ifuru, Kaadedhdhoo, Maafaru and Thimarafushi. “By offering more choice and enhanced access to our strong and growing route network, we aim to boost tourism to the Maldives, showcasing our pristine islands to travelers from around the world,” Maldivian CCO Ismail Amrah Umar says.
Sun Country Airlines has launched a new route between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, becoming the sole nonstop connection between Minnesota and New Hampshire. Flights will operate once a week using Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Airseven is scheduled to launch a service between Aalborg, Denmark, and Nuuk, Greenland, during the northern summer 2025 season. Flights will be offered twice a week using Boeing 737-800 aircraft from June 12 through Sept. 1. The route is being operated on behalf of travel agency Ruby Rejser. Morten Meyer, bureau manager at Ruby Rejser, says Greenland has been a challenging destination due to high transport costs and complex logistics. However, new direct flights from Aalborg to Nuuk will make it more accessible and affordable by eliminating the need for stopovers.
UK leisure carrier Jet2.com has placed its winter 2025-26 city break schedule on sale, which includes a new route between Manchester, England, and Porto, Portugal. The carrier says the service will operate twice a week in November 2025 and resume in February 2026. A further nine destinations—Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Krakow, Paris, Prague, Rome, Vienna and Venice—have also been put on sale from across eight UK bases in Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle International and London Stansted. Overall, the schedule comprises almost 700,000 seats.
Aug. 22
UK-based easyJet has announced three new routes from London Southend Airport to Almeria and Reus in Spain, as well as to the island of Malta. The LCC plans to open a three-aircraft base at the airport in the summer 2025 season and operate 10 routes. From March 30, 2025, flights to Malta will be 4X-weekly, while from April 1, service to both Almeria and Reus will each be 2X-weekly.
Turkish LCC Pegasus Airlines is adding a new route to Spain in September. Flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Seville Airport will be offered three times per week from Sept. 24, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that the Istanbul-Seville market is currently unserved on a scheduled basis.
TUI Airways plans to launch a new weekly route between Cardiff, Wales, and Chambéry, France, from Dec. 21. The service will operate every Saturday through March 15, 2025. It will become the first ski route available from Cardiff since the winter 2019-20 season. Additionally, the Welsh airport has confirmed that Icelandic carrier Play will offer a 2X-weekly service from Reykjavik Keflavik Airport from Oct. 10. Flights will operate 2X-weekly for a six-week period and will cater to soccer supporters traveling to watch matches between Iceland and Wales on Oct. 11 in Laugardalsvelli and Cardiff on Nov. 19.
HK Express is introducing a third route to Vietnam in December, joining existing flights to Da Nang and Hanoi. The LCC will commence a daily flight from Hong Kong International Airport to Phu Quoc International Airport from Dec. 6. The route will become the sole nonstop connection between the destinations, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
Aug. 21
Emerald Airlines, the operator of Aer Lingus Regional flights, is introducing a new route between Glasgow, Scotland, and Cork, Ireland. Flights will commence on Oct. 27, operating four times per week on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays using ATR 72-600 equipment. The airline currently operates two services to Glasgow, flying up to 4X-daily from Dublin and up to 2X-daily from Belfast City Airport. The carrier also plans to increase its 6X-weekly Cork-Bristol frequency to 9X-weekly.
Colombia’s Avianca is adding a new route to Ecuador. The airline will open a 3X-weekly Medellin-Guayaquil service on Dec. 16. Flights will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft. The move increases the Star Alliance member’s network from Medellin to 27 domestic and international destinations. It already serves Quito in Ecuador, flying from Medellin four times per week.
Austrian Airlines has opened reservations for a 3X-daily service between Linz and Frankfurt, starting on Oct. 28. The route will be operated using BRA-Braathens Regional Airlines' ATR 72-600 aircraft with a flight duration of 1 hr. 40 min. The destinations were last served nonstop by Air Dolomiti until late March 2024, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
Indian LCC IndiGo plans to launch a new domestic service connecting New Delhi and Vijayawada. Flights will operate daily from Sept. 14. “With the introduction of these flights, IndiGo will operate 135 weekly flights from Vijayawada to nine cities in India,” IndiGo Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra says.
Etihad Airways is increasing frequencies between Abu Dhabi and St. Petersburg, Russia, from the start of the northern winter season. The number of flights will rise from 2X to 3X-weekly using Boeing 787-9 aircraft, starting on Oct. 29. Service will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Aug. 20
Discover Airlines is launching new European routes from Frankfurt and Munich for the summer 2025 season, with expanded services to popular destinations like Greece and Bulgaria. Notably, the airline is adding Ålesund and Bodø in Norway, marking the first time these cities are served by the Lufthansa Group. Discover will operate 2X-weekly flights from Frankfurt to Ålesund and from Munich to Bodø. The airline will also offer year-round flights to Kittilä, Finland, and a new route from Munich to Reykjavik Keflavik, Iceland, previously flown by Lufthansa. Additionally, Discover Airlines will expand its flights to Heraklion, Greece, and introduce a new route to Burgas, Bulgaria. Next summer, the airline will offer 36 short- and medium-haul destinations from Frankfurt and 29 from Munich.
Greater Bay Airlines (GBA) has announced the launch of scheduled flights to Yonago in Japan's Tottori Prefecture starting Oct. 27. This new service will operate three times a week between Hong Kong and Yonago Kitaro Airport, marking GBA's third Japanese destination, after Tokyo and Osaka. The airline is currently operating charter flights on this route to meet summer demand.
All Nippon Airways’ subsidiary Peach Aviation will increase flight frequencies on several routes beginning Oct. 27. Tokyo Narita-Taiwan Taoyuan and Osaka Kansai-Taiwan Taoyuan will each expand from two to three daily flights. Additionally, Osaka Kansai-Sapporo Chitose will increase from up to seven to eight daily flights, and Osaka Kansai-Fukuoka will rise from up to four to five daily flights.
Tigerair Taiwan plans to commence a 3X-weekly Kaohsiung-Okayama service with a 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. The route will begin on Oct. 27. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows the LCC will be the sole operator of nonstop flights between the cities.
Thai AirAsia X is to increase frequencies on five routes from Bangkok Don Mueang Airport. Service to Tokyo Narita will rise to 18X-weekly; Osaka to 14X-weekly; Sapporo to 7X-weekly; Seoul Incheon to 14X-weekly; and Shanghai to 7X-weekly. Additionally, the LCC will offer six flights per week to Sydney from Dec. 1. “Thai AirAsia X is extending its fleet and increasing the frequency of several routes to match travel demand, whether to Japan, South Korea or China,” Thai AirAsia X CEO Tassapon Bijleveld says.
Aug. 19
Starlux Airlines has launched its inaugural nonstop service between Taipei, Taiwan, and Seattle, offering 3X-weekly flights using Airbus A350-900 aircraft. “Seattle is not just our latest destination, it’s a pivotal milestone in our U.S. expansion strategy,” Starlux CEO Glenn Chai says. “For the first time, thanks to our esteemed partner Alaska Airlines, we can connect passengers from over 100 U.S. cities via the West Coast to Asia Pacific.” According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, Starlux will be the fourth carrier to serve the route sector nonstop. EVA Airways currently offers a 10X-weekly service, Delta Air Lines operates daily flights and China Airlines provides five roundtrips per week.
China Southern Airlines has commenced flights between northwestern Chinese city Urumqi and Istanbul. The service will be offered once a week using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. China Southern becomes the sole scheduled operator on the route, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data. Meanwhile, the carrier plans to increase service between Guangzhou and Doha, Qatar, from Sept. 17. Frequencies will rise from 4X-weekly to daily.
Argentina’s flag-carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas is increasing its flights to Brazil by 25%. The airline will add more frequencies from Córdoba, Rosario and Buenos Aires to destinations like Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis and Salvador de Bahia. From January to March, Córdoba will see flights to Rio double, while new routes to Florianópolis and Salvador will be introduced. Rosario will have additional flights to Rio and Florianópolis. Buenos Aires will see flights to Rio rise from 21 to 32 per week, with added service to Salvador and a second weekly flight to Porto Seguro starting in September.
Air India Express is launching a new route to Saudi Arabia in September. Flights between Thiruvananthapuram and Riyadh will be offered once a week from Sept. 9. The carrier will become the only operator of nonstop flights between the cities.
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