The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
March 1
Emirates Airline will resume service to Phnom Penh International Airport (PNH), connecting the Cambodian capital to Dubai International Airport (DXB) with a same-plane, one-stop route via Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). The DXB-SIN-PNH routing will be flown daily using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft configured to carry 360 passengers. Emirates SkyCargo will offer 300 metric tons of weekly capacity on the route, and expects to carry textiles and pharmaceuticals, among other cargo, to and from PNH. “The resumption of our Phnom Penh services demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our Southeast Asian network and … [helping] businesses and exporters of all sizes establish stronger trade connections,” says Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ deputy president and chief commercial officer.
UK carrier easyJet will open flights between London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Italy’s Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi Airport (QSR), a former military airport that will begin accepting commercial flights on July 1. The LGW-QSR route will be operated 2X-weekly starting July 13. QSR will become the 157th destination in easyJet’s network. Additionally, the airline will resume 2X-weekly year-round service between Newcastle, England, and Amsterdam from Sept. 5.
China Southern Airlines will start service between Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) and Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) from April 22. The CAN-DOH route will be flown 4X-weekly using a Boeing 787 aircraft. China Southern will codeshare with Qatar Airways on the route. Qatar Airways already operates daily flights on the DOH-CAN route, and notes the new route will “complement” the existing service, with China Southern passengers able to connect to its global network via DOH. “By working together and linking our networks, we will stimulate trade and tourism in Qatar, as well as in China, which is a core strategic market for Qatar Airways,” Qatar Airways says in a statement.
Hong Kong Airlines will resume 3X-weekly flights between Hong Kong and Kagoshima, Japan, from March 31. The airline has not flown the route since 2020, having operated it for six years prior to that point.
Feb. 29
American Airlines regional affiliate Envoy Air has commenced American Eagle-branded service between Miami International Airport and Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The route is being flown 2X-weekly with an Embraer E175 aircraft configured to carry 76 passengers. It is the first time the route has been operated by an airline on a scheduled basis, and will be the only route connecting OCJ to the U.S. “This new destination is the result of more than two years of close planning and coordination between teams across Envoy, American and the Jamaican government,” Envoy says in a statement.
Algiers Airport has appointed Mokhtar-Saïd Mediouni, a former senior military officer, as head of the airport, according to the Algiers Transport Ministry. He replaces Mohamed-Salah Kaouach.
Cathay Pacific and subsidiary HK Express carried more than 2 million passengers in the month of January, or around 70,000 per day, according to traffic figures released by the Hong Kong-based airline. “We observed a decline in leisure demand during January, as expected,” says Lavinia Lau, Cathay chief customer and commercial officer. “However, business travel demand resumed after the Christmas holiday. In particular, our Chinese mainland routes performed exceptionally well, with very encouraging load factors in the premium cabins.” Cathay Pacific mainline carried a total of 1.7 million passengers in January 2024, an increase of 66.4% compared with January 2023. The Philippines is cited by Cathay as a market with particularly strong demand, including passengers connecting from Manila via Hong Kong to destinations such as Dubai, Los Angeles and Amsterdam. Cathay adds: “As Lunar New Year fell in the first half of February, we began to witness a noticeable increase in holiday demand from the Chinese mainland toward the latter part of January. This demand was for travel both to Hong Kong and beyond.”
European ULCC Wizz Air reports it has carried a total of 70 million passengers to and from London Luton (LTN) over 20 years, with plans to continue growing at the airport. The airline bases 11 aircraft and 600 employees at LTN, operating 50 daily flights to 60 destinations in 28 countries. By 2025, all Wizz aircraft based at the airport will be Airbus A321neos configured to carry 239 passengers. Wizz this month launched flights to Salzburg, Austria, from LTN. Meanwhile, the airline carried 1 million passengers to and from London Gatwick (LGW) from August 2023-January 2024. Wizz bases 230 employees at LGW, where it offers 19 daily departures, including daily flights to Athens, Greece; Istanbul; Nice, France; and Rome.
Feb. 28
Latvia’s airBaltic says it is operating flights between Riga and Alicante, Spain, for the winter season. Flights between the Latvian capital and the Spanish city known for beaches are being flown 2X-weekly. Flight duration is about 4 hr. 15 min.
Turkish Airlines will add four more weekly flights on the Istanbul-Manchester, England, route, citing increasing passenger demand. The airline currently operates the route 3X-daily. From May 19, it will add a fourth flight on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, giving it a total of 25 weekly flights on the route.
Royal Jordanian will add two new routes to England in March. From March 3, it will start 3X-weekly flights between Amman and London Stansted Airport. From March 6, the airline will kick off 2X-weekly service between the Jordanian capital and Manchester Airport. The carrier says the new routes are in line with its “focus on attracting inbound tourism to Jordan while enhancing traffic between Jordan and the world.”
U.S. carrier Breeze Airways will add Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in New Hampshire (located about 50 mi. north of Boston Logan International Airport) to its network with nonstop service to three destinations: Charleston, South Carolina (seasonal 2X-weekly starting June 14); Orlando, Florida (year-round 2X-weekly commencing June 14); and Fort Myers, Florida (seasonal 2X-weekly beginning Oct. 2).
Feb. 27
Qatar Airways will move its flights to Goa, India, over to the new Manohar International Airport (GOX) from June 20. The airline currently operates daily service between Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) and Goa's Dabolim Airport (GOI). GOX opened in January 2023. Qatar Airways will be among a number of airlines switching to the newer airport. The DOH-GOX flights will be flown daily with a mix of Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 aircraft.
Calgary International Airport (YYC) has named Jen Pon to the post of CFO. She comes to YYC after serving as vice president of internal audit and risk management for Canadian internet and cable television provider Rogers Communications. Pon worked for Calgary-based WestJet from 2005 to 2016, where she had roles involving the airlines’ financial planning, analysis and reporting.
Feb. 26
United Airlines will open year-round service between Guam International Airport (GUM) and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) from May 1. The flights will be flown daily with a Boeing 737-800. United already operates 32 weekly flights between GUM and Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT). United flies more than 87 weekly departures from the Pacific Ocean U.S. territory to 14 destinations. Other destinations served in Japan by United from GUM include Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya. United also flies to HND from Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.
Sun Country Airlines will add two airports to its network in August, launching two new routes from its Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) base. From Aug. 8, it will open service between MSP and Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) in California. MRY says the route will be operated 2X-weekly through Nov. 3, 2024. From Aug. 22, the carrier will open 1X-weekly service between MSP and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) in New Hampshire (located about 50 mi from Boston Logan International Airport). No end date was given for the route. Sun Country becomes the fifth airline serving MRY and the sixth serving MHT. Flights on both routes will be flown with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
