Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C Feb. 10, 2025)

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

Feb. 14

Canada’s Porter Airlines will open service between Montreal Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey from June 1. The route will be operated daily when it is launched, but will increase to 2X-daily for the June 25-Sept. 7 “peak summer season,” the airline said. The YUL-EWR service will be flown with a 78-seat De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft. Porter already serves EWR from its Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport base and also from Ottawa International Airport. The carrier additionally operates service between Toronto Pearson International Airport and New York LaGuardia Airport. “Newark Airport has been a key part of Porter’s network since the launch of our Billy Bishop-Newark service in 2008,” said Porter's Vice President for Network Planning Andrew Pierce. “Adding a nonstop route from Montreal will make the New York area even more accessible for our passengers.”

U.S. carrier Avelo Airlines operated its first flight between Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Montego Bay, Jamaica. The route will be flown 2X-weekly with a Boeing 737NG configured to carry 149 passengers. Flight time is around 3 hr. From Feb. 22, Avelo will open service between RDU and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. That route will also be flown 2X-weekly with a 737NG. RDU noted it will have 14 international routes once the Punta Cana service opens. Both of the new routes are exclusive to Avelo.

Leisure-focused U.S. ULCC Allegiant Air launched seven new routes from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) in Florida. The new routes bring to 35 the number of destinations served by Avelo from SRQ. The new routes include Albany and Elmira in New York; Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Moline, Illinois; Omaha, Nebraska; and Roanoke, Virginia. All of the routes will be flown 2X-weekly.

Feb. 13

Azul has confirmed plans to open a new route linking Recife, Brazil, and Porto, Portugal. Flights will be offered twice a week from June 4 using a leased Boeing 767-300ER aircraft from EuroAtlantic. Speaking to Aviation Week at Routes Americas 2025, Azul General Manager of Network and Strategic Planning Vitor Cordeiro Silva said the carrier also plans to resume flights to Porto from Sao Paulo Viracopos-Campinas International Airport this summer following a hiatus of five years. Frequencies are set to be 3X-weekly.

Ryanair has launched its summer 2025 schedule in Seville, adding two new routes to Baden-Baden, Germany, and Rome Fiumicino. The ULCC will offer 55 routes with five Seville-based aircraft during the season. The plans come ahead of Routes Europe 2025 taking place in Seville from April 8-10.

Air Transat has announced a new interline agreement with Air Europa, expanding travel options between Canada and Spain. The partnership allows Canadian travelers to connect to Spanish destinations, including Bilbao, Ibiza, La Coruña, Las Palmas, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife and Vigo, via Air Europa’s hub in Madrid. The agreement offers single-ticket check-in, baggage transfer to final destinations and protection in case of delays or cancellations. “This partnership underscores the significance of the Spanish market within our network and our commitment to offering practical and diverse travel solutions,” says Sebastian Ponce, chief revenue officer at Transat.

Wizz Air will launch two new routes from Hahn Airport in summer 2025, connecting the German gateway to Bucharest and Sibiu in Romania. Starting Aug. 1, the ULCC will operate flights to the Bucharest three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The following day, on Aug. 2, flights to Sibiu will commence, running twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Feb. 12

IndiGo is launching a new domestic route in India connecting Bhopal and Jabalpur. The sector will be served three times per week from March 1. “The introduction of these direct flights will significantly reduce the travel time, thereby bridging the distance between the cities,” a statement from the LCC says.

Italian flag-carrier ITA Airways plans to open a new route to Mauritius. Flights from Rome Fiumicino Airport will operate twice a week from Nov. 7. The airline will deploy Airbus A330neo aircraft on the route. ITA’s predecessor Alitalia previously served the market until the northern winter 2019-20 season.

Vietnam Airlines will launch a new service between Nha Trang and Busan on June 1, with daily flights to meet rising travel demand between Vietnam and South Korea. The new route becomes the carrier’s sixth connection between the two countries, joining existing routes from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Nha Trang to Seoul and Busan. “With over 50 weekly flights, Vietnam Airlines is well equipped to meet the growing travel demand between the two countries,” a statement from the carrier says.

Feb. 11

LATAM Airlines Group is opening a new nonstop route between Fortaleza, Brazil, and Lisbon, Portugal. Flights will be offered weekly from April 7 through Oct. 20 using Boeing 787 aircraft. This marks the airline’s first direct service between Brazil’s northeast region and Europe since 2009. LATAM will compete on the sector with TAP Air Portugal, which currently offers daily service onboard Airbus A330-200s and A330-900neo. Fortaleza’s only other nonstop route to Europe is Air France’s 5X-weekly flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.

Avianca is set to launch a new route from Routes Americas 2024 host Bogotá to Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport, subject to government approval. Operations will start on May 26, operating four times per week using 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. The new service will join the airline’s existing Colombia-U.S. service, which currently comprises 10 nonstop routes, including seven from Bogotá.

Etihad Airways is upgrading its planned Abu Dhabi-Atlanta route to daily service starting Nov 1. The route will launch on July 2 with four weekly flights using Airbus A350-1000 equipment. “With Atlanta’s reputation as a major hub for business and transportation, this move reflects Etihad’s commitment to meeting passenger demand and continuing its growth plans, which include newly announced routes to 13 other global destinations this year,” a statement issued by the airline says.

Feb. 10

Indian LCC IndiGo will launch daily flights between Kishangarh and Ahmedabad starting March 1, marking Kishangarh as the airline’s 91st domestic and 129th overall destination. The addition strengthens the airline’s presence in Rajasthan, where it already serves Bikaner, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur. IndiGo currently operates more than 550 weekly flights from Ahmedabad, connecting 36 cities across its network.

Air Nostrum, Iberia’s regional franchise airline, will expand its network this summer, offering flights from Melilla to 11 Spanish cities—the highest number of connections in the city's history. The key additions for the 2025 season include new routes to Asturias and Tenerife North. The Tenerife North route will operate once a week from July 18 to Aug. 31, complementing the existing year-round service to Las Palmas. The Asturias route will also run once a weekly during August. Additional summer service enhancements include increased frequencies to Barcelona, Málaga, Madrid and Palma de Mallorca.

Southwest Airlines has extended its flight schedule through Nov. 1. The airline plans to introduce a new daily nonstop service between San Diego and Fresno, starting Oct. 2. Additionally, flights between San Diego and Tampa will increase to five days a week. The carrier is also expanding its nonstop service between Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and San Diego, operating 5X-weekly from Oct. 2, while Austin-Jacksonville will be 6X-weekly from the same date.