The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
June 14
Canada’s Air Transat has launched its first route to Africa, connecting Montreal-Trudeau International Airport and Marrakech-Menara International Airport, Morocco. Flights will operate year-round using Airbus A321LR aircraft with two flights per week during the summer season, decreasing to one per week in winter. “This direct route will allow the Moroccan diaspora to reunite more easily with their loved ones while offering Canadian travellers a unique opportunity to discover the cultural and historical wonders of Morocco,” says Joseph Adamo, chief sales and marketing officer of Transat. According to Canada’s 2021 census, about 81,000 Canadians who claimed full or partial Moroccan ancestry live in Quebec, and nearly half of that population is in Montreal.
Frontier Airlines plans to add new routes from nine U.S. airports in August. From Aug. 13, the ULCC will launch daily service between Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson-Boston, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson-Los Angeles, Boston-Charlotte, New York John F. Kennedy-Las Vegas, Los Angeles-Sacramento and San Diego-Sacramento. Flights between Boston and Dallas Fort Worth will also be offered from Aug. 14, operating four times per week.
Viva Aerobus plans to open three new routes from Mexico City Felipe Angeles International Airport. From Oct. 1, the ULCC will commence flights to Leon/Guanajuato, followed by operations to Matamoros on Nov. 1. A third route to Ciudad Obregon begins on Nov. 3. The services will be operated with A320 and A321 aircraft.
Ryanair is adding a new service linking Paris Beauvais Airport and Rovaniemi in northern Finland. Flights will operate twice a week from Nov. 1 through March 28, 2025. The route will become the airline’s sixth to Rovaniemi Airport during the winter season.
JetBlue Airways has commenced flights between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tulum, Mexico. The route will operate daily using Airbus A320 aircraft. Tulum becomes the carrier’s third destination in Mexico alongside Cancun and Los Cabos.
U.S. carrier Avelo Airlines has started service between St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) and Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN), becoming the only airline offering nonstop service between Missouri and Connecticut. STL-HVN will be served twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays using Boeing 737s.
Australia’s International Air Services Commission has issued a draft determination on Jetstar and Virgin Australia’s applications for additional capacity to Bali. The decision proposes to grant 2,320 seats of passenger capacity per week to Jetstar, rather than Virgin Australia’s bid for 2,464 seats. Jetstar intends to start daily service between Cairns-Melbourne-Denpasar and 3X-weekly flights between Adelaide-Perth-Denpasar using Airbus A321LR aircraft.
June 13
Qatar Airways and China Southern Airlines have deepened ties by signing a memorandum of understanding to enhance travel options. The agreement outlines a framework for the two airlines to boost their market presence and collaboration in the areas of cargo and frequent flyer programs. Qatar Airways and China Southern signed a codeshare partnership in late 2019, and the Chinese airline commenced flights from Guangzhou to Doha in April 2024. Additionally, Qatar Airways has resumed flights to Venice, Italy. Flights will be daily using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. “In addition to Venice, Qatar Airways already serves two other major Italian cities, Rome and Milan,” CCO Thierry Antinori says. “These flights have been incredibly popular among our passengers.”
Canada’s Porter Airlines is doubling capacity on two U.S. routes from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Two flights per day will be offered to Las Vegas from Aug. 29 and to Los Angeles from Sept. 5. Both routes will be served by Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
China Eastern Airlines is increasing frequencies between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hiroshima, Japan. The number of flights per week will rise from three to four, starting on July 28. The airline serves the route using Airbus A319 aircraft at present and is the sole carrier to offer nonstop flights between the cities, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
IndiGo is launching three new routes from Durgapur in the Indian state of West Bengal. From Aug. 30, the airline will fly daily to Bhubaneswar, 4X-weekly to Bagdogra and 3X-weekly to Guwahati. The move increases the LCC’s schedule to 42 flights per week from Durgapur. “Previously, with limited connectivity options and surface transport being a primary source of commute, travel time between Durgapur and Bhubaneswar, Bagdogra and Guwahati was almost 10 hr., 11 hr. and 21 hr., respectively,” a statement from IndiGo says. “With IndiGo's new direct flights, the travel time will be reduced to less than 2 hr. on these routes.”
June 12
LOT Polish Airlines is launching a new seasonal connection to Innsbruck, Austria. Service will commence on Nov. 29 and operate until March 28, 2025. Flights will be offered once a week on Fridays using Boeing 737 aircraft. “Innsbruck is another route after Tashkent, Athens, Oradea and Riyadh that LOT will inaugurate this year,” LOT CEO Michał Fijoł says. “Thanks to the large fleet orders completed by LOT in recent months, we can offer travelers both new destinations and increase frequencies on existing ones.”
Tradewind Aviation plans to launch scheduled flights from two of the Bahamas’ outer islands—North Eleuthera and Marsh Harbour—to West Palm Beach, Florida. Flights will be offered five times per week from Dec. 19 through May 26, 2025, operating from private jet fixed-based operator terminals.
United Airlines has added nearly 200 new flights to cater for this summer's national political conventions in the U.S. The airline will increase its Milwaukee flying by more than 75% for the Republican National Convention in July and will fly its largest schedule from its Chicago O'Hare hub since 2019 for the Democratic National Convention in August, including a 40% increase in flying between Chicago O'Hare and Washington Reagan. In total, the carrier will add 72 flights to and from Milwaukee in July and 118 flights to and from Chicago in August.
EasyJet has put 60 new routes on sale for the winter 2024-25 season, including 33 from 11 UK airports. The schedule features a new winter service to Tromso, Norway, for the first time, with departures from London Gatwick (LGW), Bristol and Manchester. Additionally, it includes a year-round service from LGW to Strasbourg, marking a new French destination for the airline. Other additions include three routes from London Luton to Athens, Basel and Djerba, plus a second route to Akureyri in Northen Iceland from Manchester.
June 11
Air New Zealand has expanded its nonstop Bali flights to year-round. The airline will operate between five and seven flights per week from April until the end of October, three flights per week between November to mid-February and two flights per week between mid-February to the end of March. “Bookings to Bali have been strong since we relaunched our seasonal service in March 2023,” says Leanne Geraghty, Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer.
Air Montenegro has introduced a new service connecting Tivat, Montenegro, and Baku, Azerbaijan. Flights will be offered twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. “The direct Baku-Tivat route is expected to significantly increase the number of tourists from Azerbaijan and stimulate additional investments from this market into Montenegro,” an Air Montenegro spokesperson says. “This route will strengthen the ties between the two countries and provide an additional boost to Montenegro's tourism industry.”
Qatar Airways is resuming flights between Doha’s Hamad International Airport and Venice Marco Polo Airport on June 12. Service will be daily.
Delta Air Lines has launched a route between Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) and the newly renamed San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK). Operations will be daily using Boeing 737-900 aircraft. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, Southwest Airlines currently serves ATL-OAK three times per week using 737-700s and 737-8s.
Azerbaijan Airlines has commenced service to Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. Operations from Baku will be on Tuesdays and Fridays using Embraer 190 aircraft. The carrier will be the sole operator of nonstop flights between the cities.
June 10
VietJet has inaugurated flights between Hanoi and Sydney, becoming the LCC’s seventh route to Australia. Flights between the cities will be offered twice a week using Airbus A330 aircraft. The latest new route follows the launch of the Hanoi-Melbourne service on June 4. “This addition significantly enhances travel convenience for passengers looking to explore, invest, trade, study or visit relatives between Hanoi and Sydney, while also connecting them to further destinations with Vietjet’s extensive flight network,” a statement from the airline says.
TAP Air Portugal is introducing a new route to Brazil, adding three flights per week between Lisbon and Florianópolis. Service to the coastal city in Santa Catarina will start on Sept. 3, operated using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Once launched, Forianópolis will become the airline's 12th destination in Brazil. “The launch of the flight to the state of Santa Catarina has been under consideration for some time,” TAP CEO Luís Rodrigues says. “For TAP, it is very important that we have been able to bring forward the launch of this new route to a time when, due to the state of calamity in Rio Grande do Sul and the closure of Porto Alegre airport, the south of Brazil needs it so much.”
Indian LCC IndiGo is increasing capacity to Central Asia. From Aug. 16, service from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tbilisi, Georgia, will each rise from 3X-weekly to daily. The carrier will then commence daily flights to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from Aug. 17, up from the current 4X-weekly. “These new flights have been announced to cater to the increasing demand for outbound and leisure travel to these destinations,” says Vinay Malhotra, IndiGo head of global sales. “With this, IndiGo now operates daily flights to all four of our Central Asian destinations: Tashkent, Almaty, Tbilisi and Baku.”
Omani airlines Oman Air and SalamAir are expanding their codeshare partnership. Starting July 4, the initial phase of the agreement will allow passengers to book flights on various SalamAir routes, connecting with Oman Air’s network. “This latest development enables us to jointly offer even more choice and schedule options, which both benefit our customers and serve the broader tourism ambitions of the country,” Oman Air CEO Con Korfiatis says. Oman Air announced the appointment of former flyadeal chief Korfiatis in May, while SalamAir named Adrian Hamilton-Manns as its new CEO earlier this month.
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