The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Aug. 9
Volotea is opening a base at Rodez Marcillac Airport, located in the Aveyron region of France, after being awarded the tender to operate a public service obligation (PSO) service to Paris Orly. The airline will launch the PSO route from Sept. 2, operating 11X-weekly using Airbus A319 aircraft. “We are extremely proud to strengthen our presence in France with the opening of our new base in Rodez,” Volotea founder and CEO Carlos Muñoz says. “With an expected load factor of over 90%, we are confident that this new route will be a great success and will fully benefit the inhabitants of Aveyron and beyond.” The base will become the carrier’s 10th in France.
Batik Air Malaysia has resumed service between Penang and Kuala Lumpur Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB), better known as Subang Airport. The move marks the return of narrowbody jet operations to SZB after an absence of 22 years. Batik will initially serve the route three times per week using Boeing 737s, rising to daily from Aug. 15.
South Korea’s T'way Air has commenced a 3X-weekly service between Seoul Incheon and Rome Fiumicino. Flights will operate using Airbus A330-200 equipment. The route is one of four European services that the airline gained through the competition remedies applied to the proposed Korean Air-Asiana merger.
Etihad Airways will restart flights to Nairobi, Kenya, from Dec. 15. Operations between Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport and Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport will be 4X-weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that the airline served the route regularly until December 2021.
Oman Air is resuming three seasonal services from Muscat this winter. From Oct. 5, the carrier will reinstate operations to Zurich, followed by Male on Oct. 27 and Moscow Sheremetyevo from Oct. 29. Each of the routes will be served three times per week.
Aug. 8
British Airways (BA) is expanding its codeshare partnership with Bangkok Airways and increasing frequencies to Thailand this winter. The enhanced codeshare will allow passengers to book a single ticket from London via Bangkok to Thai and Cambodian holiday destinations Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Phuket, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Additionally, BA announced earlier this year plans to resume nonstop service between London Gatwick and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi from Oct. 28, operating 3X-weekly using Boeing 777 aircraft. It has now confirmed that frequencies will rise to up to 5X-weekly between January and March 2025. “In October, we will be operating our first direct flight to Thailand in more than four years, so it's a highly anticipated return to our global network,” says Neil Chernoff, BA chief planning and strategy officer. “Knowing that this route will be particularly popular with our leisure customers, we're pleased to be working with Bangkok Airways to offer more choice and make these sought-after holiday destinations more accessible.”
Aer Lingus will launch three new routes from Dublin Airport this winter to Marrakesh, Malta and Seville. Flights to Seville and Malta will commence on Oct. 26, followed by the Marrakesh service the next day. All three new routes will be served three times per week. Additionally, the carrier plans to increase capacity on several routes including Alicante, Athens, Bordeaux and Nice. Faro will now operate year-round, four times a week, while Nice will be extended until late November, also operating 4X-weekly. Athens will be extended into January twice per week, and Bordeaux will increase from 4X to 5X-weekly.
Flydubai has become first United Arab Emirates-based carrier to serve EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport. The LCC has launched a 4X-weekly route from Dubai International Airport. With the start of flights to Basel, flydubai has grown its network in Europe to 29 destinations including Budapest, Catania, Krakow, Milan-Bergamo, Prague, Salzburg and Zagreb. “EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg serves Switzerland, France and Germany, making it an important hub for travel, trade and tourism in the tri-border region that will benefit our customers from the UAE and beyond,” says Jeyhun Efendi, flydubai senior vice president for commercial operations and e-commerce.
Aug. 7
Royal Air Maroc is to commence a new route to Toronto in December, as well as resuming flights to Beijing Daxing in January 2025. Service between Casablanca and Toronto will be offered three times per week from Dec. 8 using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. “The upcoming launch of the Casablanca-Toronto line primarily responds to the strong demand from Moroccans living in Canada, particularly in Ontario,” Royal Air Maroc Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou says. Flights to Beijing Daxing will also restart on Jan 20, operating 3X-weekly using 787-9s.
Philippine LCC Cebu Pacific is opening one new international route and three new domestic connections from Davao. Starting Oct. 28, the airline will operate 3X-weekly flights between Davao and Bangkok-Don Mueang, Thailand. Additionally, daily service will start to Caticlan and Puerto Princesa on Oct. 27, followed by 3X-weekly flights to Tacloban from Oct. 29. Cebu Pacific is also increasing Manila-Melbourne frequencies from 3X to 4X-weekly in December using Airbus A330-900neo equipment.
SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, has announced it will begin a new route from Dalaman to Newcastle, England. Service will be 2X-weekly from May 4, 2025. The carrier already operates flights from Antalya to Newcastle and plans to increase frequencies to 5X-weekly for the summer 2025 season.
South Africa’s Airlink is expanding its network to include nonstop service connecting Cape Town and Botswana’s capital Gaborone from April 1, 2025. Flights on the route will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using 44-seat Embraer E140 aircraft. Airlink CEO and MD Rodger Foster says Gaborone is home to thriving minerals, resources, automotive and tech sector companies and so he expects the route to attract corporate traffic. “It is also an important leisure tourism gateway to many game lodges and the Gaborone Game Reserve,” he adds.
Wizz Air will launch two new routes from Malmö Airport, Sweden, during the winter 2024-25 season. Flights to Bucharest and Iasi in Romania will be operated twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays from Oct. 29 using Airbus A320-family aircraft. “Wizz Air’s investment in additional direct routes from Malmö Airport is a clear sign of the continued high demand for international travel,” says Elizabeth Axtelius, director aviation business at Swedish airport operator Swedavia.
Hainan Airlines has launched a new route connecting Shenzhen to Budapest Airport (BUD). Flights will be offered twice a week using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The addition will mean there are 20 nonstop flights per week between Hungary and China. BUD says it expects traffic between the countries to total more than 400,000 passengers this year, compared with 220,000 in 2019.
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