Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C Aug. 26, 2024)

David Casey Aaron Karp August 30, 2024

las vegas airport — Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport handled 5.1 million passengers in July, up 2.3% year-over-year.

Credit: Panther Media GmbH/Alamy Stock Photo

The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.

Aug. 30

Centralny Port Komunikacyjny Airport (CPK), the new Warsaw airport under development, signed a contract with a consortium for the design of an airline operations control center (AOCC). “The contractor has one year to complete the full construction design, including the application for a building permit,” CPK said in a statement. The AOCC design contract with Polish firms PIG Architekci and GMT follows existing design contracts for the air traffic control tower and facilities for emergency and firefighting services. The new airport, to be located 40 km (25 mi.) from central Warsaw, is viewed as a long-term replacement for Warsaw Chopin Airport, though both will likely stay operational when CPK comes online. The Polish government has moved back the opening of the new airport to the early 2030s (the previous target was to open in 2027 or 2028), and scaled back the planned capacity from 40 million passengers annually to 34 million passengers annually. CPK said the AOCC will be “a hub for managing and coordinating airline operations, where data related to flight planning, apron traffic, crew management, ground handling activities and weather conditions is monitored and processed.”

IATA reported that global air cargo traffic in July, as measured in cargo tonne-kilometers, increased 13.6% compared to July 2023. “This is the eighth consecutive month of double-digit year-on-year growth, with overall levels reaching heights not seen since the record peaks of 2021,” IATA stated. Global cargo capacity in July was up 8.3% compared to the year-ago month, which IATA said “was largely related to the growth in international belly capacity, which rose 12.8% on the strength of passenger markets.” International freighter capacity was up 6.9% year-over-year in July. “The air cargo business continues to benefit from growth in global trade, booming e-commerce and capacity constraints on maritime shipping,” IATA DG Willie Walsh said. “With the peak season still to come, it is shaping to be a very strong year for air cargo.”

Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) handled 5.1 million passengers in July, up 2.3% year-over-year. According to LAS, July 2024 was the fourth-busiest month in the airport’s history. Through the first seven months of 2024, the airport handled 33.9 million passengers, up 2.5% versus the first seven months of 2023. Southwest Airlines carried the most passengers to and from LAS in July, transporting 1.9 million passengers, up 1.6% year-over-year. Notably, ULCC Spirit Airlines carried 777,530 passengers to and from LAS in July, up 20.6% from July 2023.

Aug. 29

IndiGo will open flights between Bengaluru, India, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using an Airbus A320-family aircraft. The service will be flown daily starting Sept. 30. The airline said Bengaluru will be the sixth Indian city it connects to Jeddah. The new route will grow IndiGo’s total weekly flights between India and Jeddah to 49.

Air Astana will start service between Shymken, Kazakhstan, and Jeddah from Oct. 1. Through Oct. 28, the route will be flown 2X-weekly. From Oct. 29, frequencies will lower to 1X-weekly and the carrier will open 1X-weekly service between Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Medina, Saudi Arabia. The routes to Saudi Arabia will be flown with an Airbus A321LR aircraft. The airline already serves the Almaty-Jeddah route.

Atlantic Airways, the national airline of the Faroe Islands, said it will offer seasonal service again next year to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). Flights between Vagar Airport in the Faroe Islands and LGW will run from May 31, 2025, to August 30, 2025. The route will be operated 2X-weekly with an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Aug. 28

Malaysia’s AirAsia is opening two new routes to China: Penang-Shenzhen and Kota Kinabalu-Shantou. Service between Penang and Shenzhen will be offered four times per week from Oct. 28, while Kota Kinabalu to Shantou will be 3X-weekly from Nov. 16. With the addition of these two new routes, AirAsia will operate a total of 33 routes to and from China. All Malaysians are eligible for visa-free entry to China for tourist visits of up to 15 days until the end of 2025.

Ryanair plans to add nine new routes from Charleroi, Belgium, during the winter 2024-25 season. Flights will be offered to Cork, Dubrovnik, Gothenburg, Kaunas, Lamezia, Reggio Calabria, Sarajevo, Tel Aviv and Trieste. Additionally, the ULCC says it will launch four new routes from London Stansted this winter to Dubrovnik, Linz, Reggio di Calabria and Sarajevo. Ryanair also called on the UK government to “immediately scrap” the air passenger duty.

Saudi LCC Flynas is launching five new routes to the United Arab Emirates. From Sept. 1, the airline will provide daily service on three sectors—Riyadh-Dubai World Central, Jeddah-Abu Dhabi and Jeddah-Sharjah—and a 2X-weekly service between Madinah and Sharjah. Flights linking Madinah and Abu Dhabi will commence on Sept. 2, operating twice a week.

Aug. 27

Aeromexico has announced plans to launch a new service connecting Cancun and Miami from Dec. 19. Operations will be daily using Boeing 737-8 aircraft. The airline currently serves Miami three times a day from Mexico City Juarez International Airport (MEX). It also flies from MEX to Orlando and Tampa in Florida, operating 3X-daily and daily, respectively.

Taiwanese carrier Starlux is to commence a new route to Japan in December. Flights between Taichung and Okinawa will start on Dec. 2, operating four times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The carrier will be the sole operator of the routes, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.

Kazakhstan’s Air Astana will launch nonstop scheduled flights from Astana to Phuket, Thailand, from Oct. 26. The new service will be operated 3X-weekly using Airbus A321LR aircraft and is additional to the existing Almaty to Phuket service, which currently operates five times a week and will go daily on Oct. 26. The flight duration is 8 hr. 5 min. outbound to Phuket and 8 hr. 40 min. on the return sector.

Delta Air Lines is opening a new 2X-daily service between Texas' Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Flights will start on Feb. 27, 2025. The route will be served by Skywest Airlines using Embraer E175 equipment. Southwest Airlines also operates the route.

JetBlue Airways announced it is adding its premium Mint service on flights to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport during the peak ski season. The product will be available from Feb. 13 through March 30 on three flights per week from both Boston Logan and New York John F. Kennedy.

EasyJet has launched a route between Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, France, and Budapest, Hungary. The service will be offered twice a week using a mix of Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft.