The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Jan. 23
Wizz Air has announced plans to expand its Sibiu, Romania, base in summer 2025 by allocating a second aircraft, bringing the airline's total fleet in Romania to 33. The move will increase capacity at Sibiu by 58%, adding more than 320,000 seats and launching six new routes from August 2025 to Basel, Switzerland; Frankfurt Hahn, Germany; Hamburg, Germany; Madrid, Spain; Rome Fiumicino, Italy; and Vienna, Austria. Frequencies on three existing routes to Germany—Baden-Baden, Memmingen and Nuremberg—will also increase. “We are proud to hold a leading 55% market share in Romania, a cornerstone market for Wizz Air, and further expand our operations, marking our continuous commitment to the country,” Wizz Air Malta Managing Director Mauro Peneda says.
Delta Air Lines will expand its operations at San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) with the addition of two new nonstop routes. Starting May 7, the airline will launch daily service to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport, marking the carrier's return to the route after a five-year hiatus. It will be operated by SkyWest’s Embraer ERJ-175 aircraft. On July 7, Delta will also reintroduce seasonal nonstop service between SJC and Detroit Metro Airport, running through Nov. 30. This route will be served by a Boeing 737-900 aircraft.
UK regional carrier Loganair has been awarded a new four-year contract to continue operating air services in Scotland between Kirkwall and the islands of Papa Westray, North Ronaldsay, Westray, Sanday, Stronsay, and Eday. The agreement, awarded by Orkney Islands Council through the public service obligation (PSO) framework, extends Loganair’s current contract from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2029.
Jan. 22
Vietjet is expanding its India network with the launch of two new routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Hyderabad and Bangalore, commencing March 18 and 19, respectively. Service to Hyderabad will be 2X-weekly, while Bangalore will receive three roundtrip flights per week. With these additions, the airline now operates 10 routes between the two countries, providing 78 weekly flights.
Ryanair has announced its largest-ever summer schedule from Poland for 2025, offering more than 20 million seats across 300 routes, including 23 new destinations. This marks 5% growth in capacity compared to the previous year and will be supported by 44 aircraft based at Polish airports. New routes include Warsaw Chopin to Pisa, Wroclaw to Lamezia, Krakow to Castellón, Poznan to Valencia and Katowice to Dubrovnik.
Royal Air Maroc has inaugurated a new route connecting Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) and Beijing Daxing International Airport. Flights will operate three times per week using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. “The resumption of the first direct route linking Morocco and China represents a major opportunity for the development of Moroccan tourism as well as the strengthening of economic and commercial relations between the two countries,” a statement from the carrier says. The launch comes after Shanghai Airlines on Jan. 19 added a new one-stop service to CMN from Shanghai Pudong International Airport via Marseille Provence Airport.
Indian LCC IndiGo has announced the launch of daily domestic flights connecting Mumbai and Jharsuguda, starting March 1. Jharsuguda is a city located in the western part of the Indian state of Odisha. It is an emerging industrial hub, particularly in the metal and cement sectors. “This new route marks IndiGo’s fourth direct connection to/from Jharsuguda, following Bengaluru, Delhi and Kolkata,” Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra says. “By connecting Jharsuguda with Mumbai, a critical hub for commerce and industry, we aim to position Jharsuguda as a key gateway for growth and development in the region.”
TUI is expanding its operations at Cardiff Airport, basing three aircraft this summer and a second aircraft for winter starting in December 2025. The tour operator is adding more flights to the Canary Islands, including a new weekly route to Fuerteventura launching in December, alongside four weekly flights to Tenerife and two to Gran Canaria.
Thai AirAsia is expanding India network with a new route connecting Phuket to Kochi, starting April 11. The service will operate three times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and becomes the airline's third route from Phuket to India, following Chennai and Kolkata. “AirAsia sees huge potential in the Indian market and we are ready to push with our route expansion, not only from Bangkok, but also from Phuket that is already a top destination for Indian travelers,” Thai AirAsia CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya says.
Jan. 21
Spain’s Air Europa is opening a new route between Madrid and Istanbul Airport. Flights will start on May 12, initially operating four times per week before increasing to daily from July 7. The airline will deploy Boeing 787 aircraft on the route. “With this route, Air Europa continues its international expansion plan, reaching more destinations and increasing its seat offering,” the carrier says in a statement.
ITA Airways is to resume flights to Israel from Feb. 1. Service between Rome Fiumicino Airport and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport will initially operate with a daily daytime frequency, with a nighttime frequency being added from Feb. 16. ITA says the resumption of flights between Rome and Tel Aviv has been made possible through collaboration with Italian and Israeli authorities and holds “strategic value” for the airline. It adds that the route will strengthen “commercial, social and cultural relations that link the two markets.”
Hong Kong Airlines has resumed flights to Vancouver, Canada, and Gold Coast, Australia. Flights to Vancouver will operate twice a week using Airbus A330-300 aircraft, while the Gold Coast service will be four times per week also using A330-300s. However, the latter route will only be offered for the Lunar New Year period through Feb. 15.
Indonesian carrier TransNusa Air Services plans to launch a 3X-weekly route between Bali and Perth, Australia, from March 20. “TransNusa will operate the service on its Airbus A320, which will provide more than 127,000 seats into this popular market per year,” says Perth Airport's Chief Commercial and Aviation Officer Kate Holsgrove. From April 12, the carrier will increase the frequency to 4X-weekly, with plans to offer daily service from June 1. The planned launch comes as Perth prepares to host Routes Asia 2025 from March 25-27.
Jan. 20
Qantas has announced the resumption of seasonal flights from Sydney to Sapporo's New Chitose Airport, Japan, providing Australian passengers with the only nonstop connection between the two cities. Flights will operate three times a week from Dec. 15 to March 28, 2026, using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Departing Sydney in the morning and arriving in Sapporo early evening, the route allows same-day travel to ski resorts like Niseko and Furano. The new Sapporo service marks the airline's fourth route to Japan, complementing double-daily flights from Sydney to Tokyo Haneda and daily services from Melbourne and Brisbane to Tokyo Narita. Qantas last served Sapporo in 2020.
Etihad Airways has confirmed a new route to Prague will commence on June 2. Flights from Abu Dhabi will be offered four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that the airline will be the sole carrier to serve the route.
Kazakhstan’s Air Astana announced plans to expand its China network with a new service connecting Almaty to Guangzhou, set to begin March 30. Flights will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays using Airbus A321LR aircraft. “China has always been a strategically important market for Air Astana, with strong business and leisure traffic growth since the first service was launched between Astana and Beijing more than 20 year ago,” Air Astana CEO Peter Foster says. Air Astana currently operates 7X-weekly flights to Beijing from Almaty and Astana and 4X-weekly flights to Urumqi from Almaty. Kazakhstan citizens can travel in China for up to 30 days without a visa.
Finnair has expanded its codeshare agreement with British Airways (BA), adding its code to seven BA domestic routes from London Heathrow Airport. The new routes comprise Aberdeen, Belfast City, Gibraltar, Inverness, Jersey, Manchester and Newcastle. “Over the past few years, we have seen a growing demand for our flights to Helsinki and beyond from destinations across not only the UK, but also the Channel Islands and Gibraltar,” Finnair Market Director Europe Anssi Partanen says. “Therefore, we are extremely excited to be expanding our codeshare with British Airways, to ensure customers traveling from across the country can enjoy seamless connectivity onto Finnair’s flights from London.”
Royal Jordanian Airlines will resume flights between Amman and Damascus, Syria, with 4X-weekly services starting Jan. 31. By April, frequencies are set to increase to daily. “Resuming our new flights to Damascus emphasize our commitment to be one the first airlines to offer international connectivity to the Syrian market,” Royal Jordanian CEO Samer Majali says. “Amman has long served as the gateway to Syria, enabling travelers from the U.S. and Europe to connect to the region.”
Germany’s Condor is making further changes to its short-haul route network for summer 2025, adding new European destinations and increasing frequencies on popular routes. Paris Charles de Gaulle joins the airline’s schedule with two daily flights from Frankfurt, while existing connections to Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Zurich, Milan Malpensa and Prague will also see double-daily rotations. From Vienna, Condor will offer 3X-weekly flights to Rhodes, two to Kos and two to Palma de Mallorca. Additionally, daily flights between Rome Fiumicino and Palermo will cater to Italian travelers.
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