The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
March 7
Cathay Pacific is expanding its network with the launch of flights between Hong Kong and Urumqi, set to begin on April 28. The new 4X-weekly service will bring the Cathay Group’s total destinations in mainland China to 20. Flights will be operated using Airbus A330-300 aircraft. “We are delighted to introduce Urumqi as the Cathay Group’s 11th new port announced so far this year, as we move one step closer to reaching 100 destinations globally in 2025,” says Cathay’s chief customer and commercial officer, Lavinia Lau.
U.S. carrier Avelo Airlines has inaugurated nonstop service between Lakeland International Airport (LAL), Florida, and Nashville International Airport. Flights will be offered twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. The airline established a base at LAL in October 2024.
Spirit Airlines has introduced San Antonio’s first nonstop service to the Caribbean, with flights now operating to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The new route will be served up to four times per week. Since 2022, Spirit has expanded its San Antonio operation to eight nonstop destinations. Additionally, beginning on April 9, the ULCC will launch a daily nonstop service between SAT and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Canada’s Flair Airlines will restart its nonstop Saint John Airport-Toronto Pearson International Airport service earlier than expected, with flights resuming on April 25. The service was initially scheduled to operate three times per week from June. “Making travel between New Brunswick and Ontario more affordable and accessible is what we do, and we're proud to help more Canadians experience Saint John's beauty, history, and hospitality,” says Flair Airlines vice president of commercial, Eric Tanner.
Southwest Airlines has launched new daily nonstop service between Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. “Austin is a new destination not currently served by any other airline at MKE,” MKE Airport Director Brian Dranzik says. “With this new route, we are connecting two of America’s greatest music destinations. Whether it’s Texans visiting Milwaukee to attend the world’s largest music festival at Summerfest, or Milwaukee-area travelers looking to enjoy Austin’s live music scene, these new flights will be especially popular among music lovers.”
March 6
Volotea is adding two new routes to Rodez Marcillac Airport in France. From April 24, the airline will launch flights to Porto, Portugal, followed by a route to Lille, France, from May 2. Both routes will operate twice a week. Since opening its base in Rodez last September, Volotea has transported more than 52,000 passengers. In 2025, the LCC will offer nearly 257,000 seats, a 335% increase from 2024, as it strengthens its presence in Aveyron. Along with the new Porto and Lille routes, Volotea has also announced services to Bastia, Figari and Ajaccio in Corsica, in addition to its route to Paris-Orly.
Qatar Airways is increasing frequencies to Berlin from July. Starting on July 10, the carrier plans to serve Germany’s capital 3X-daily, up from 18X-weekly at present. “Qatar Airways is an important partner at BER making a significant contribution to BER's connectivity to the Gulf region, Asia, Africa and Australia,” says Berlin Brandenburg Airport CEO Aletta von Massenbach.
Ryanair plans to offer eight routes from Rimini, Italy, during the 2025 summer season. The ULCC will serve two Italian destinations—Cagliari and Palermo—as well as international flights to Budapest, Krakow, Kaunas, Prague, London Stansted and Vienna. Ryanair has been operating to/from Rimini, the host destination for Routes Europe 2026, for the past 27 years. Meanwhile, Ryanair has also announced a new route from Ostrava, Czech Republic. Service to Girona, Spain, will be 2X-weekly.
Canada’s Flair Airlines is restarting service to Charlottetown Airport during the summer 2025 season. Flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport will be offered three times per week from April 28 through Oct. 28. “Flair provides a low-fare product that stimulates air travel and has proven to be very popular for islanders wanting to travel to the Toronto area and tourists looking to visit our province,” says Charlottetown Airport Authority CEO Doug Newson.
Aerolíneas Argentinas has resumed operations at Porto Alegre Airport, Brazil, providing a nonstop connection between the capital of Rio Grande do Sul and Aeroparque Airport in Buenos Aires. Frequencies will initially be three times per week. The carrier suspended service to Porto Alegre in May 2024 following widespread flooding in the region.
German leisure carrier Discover Airlines has launched a new route between Munich and Orlando, marking the start of the carrier’s new long-haul base at the Bavarian hub. Flights between the cities will be available three times per week using Airbus A330 aircraft. Discover is also launching service from Munich to Windhoek, Namibia, and Calgary, Canada.
March 5
Turkish Airlines’ application to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) for five additional weekly flights between Turkey and Canada for the 2025 summer season has been denied. The request included one extra flight from Istanbul to Toronto Pearson, two to Montréal Trudeau and two to Vancouver International, for operations between April 1 and Oct. 31. The CTA ruled that granting the request would substantially alter the bilateral air transport agreement between Canada and Turkey, which currently limits each country’s designated carriers to 12 weekly flights.
Ethiopian Airlines is set to increase frequencies on its Addis Ababa (ADD)–Manchester route, expanding from five times weekly to daily starting July 3. The airline says the additional flights will enhance connectivity for passengers transiting through its Addis Ababa hub to destinations across Africa. In 2024, Ethiopian Airlines estimates it carried 35,000 passengers from Manchester to African destinations via ADD, including over 5,000 to Zimbabwe, 4,000 to South Africa and 3,000 to Kenya.
Regional carrier Loganair will establish a new base at Southampton Airport, becoming its 10th in the UK. The base, operational from October 2025, will be served by two ATR-72 600 aircraft, adding more than 140,000 seats annually. Additionally, from Oct. 26, Loganair will launch a 3X-daily Southampton-Manchester service and a daily Manchester-Exeter route while increasing capacity on its Southampton-Edinburgh service. New connections via Manchester to Inverness and Aberdeen will also be available. “Southampton offers a unique location, and we believe the markets, local people and businesses will respond well to our presence in this thriving part of the UK,” Loganair CEO Luke Farajallah says.
Indian LCC IndiGo is expanding its international footprint with the launch of Krabi, Thailand, as its newest destination. Flights from Mumbai to Krabi will start on March 23, initially operating six times per week before rising to daily from March 30. Krabi becomes the airline’s third destination in Thailand after Bangkok and Phuket.
March 4
Ethiopian Airlines will launch a new passenger service to Porto, Portugal, starting July 2. Flights from Addis Ababa will operate four times a week using a Boeing 787 aircraft, operating via Spain’s capital Madrid. Ethiopian Airlines currently operates 140 weekly passenger flights across Europe to 22 destinations and serves eight cargo destinations. The carrier says the new Porto route strengthens its presence in the region while enhancing connections between Africa and Europe.
Flydubai is expanding its network in Iran with the launch of three new destinations—Bushehr and Tabriz starting March 13, and Qeshm from March 14. Jeyhun Efendi, divisional senior vice president for commercial operations and e-commerce, says the new routes align with the LCC’s commitment to enhancing connectivity to underserved markets from Dubai. The airline recently announced seasonal summer routes to Al Alamein, Egypt, and Antalya, Turkey.
Air Astana will introduce a new route from Almaty to Da Nang, Vietnam, starting on June 4. The carrier will offer two flights per week using Airbus A321LR aircraft. The launch will increase the number of Air Astana scheduled flights to Vietnam to nine, with existing operations including four flights a week between Almaty and Nha Trang, plus three flights per week between Astana and Nha Trang. Additionally, the seasonal route from Almaty and Astana to Phu Quoc will continue to operate until March 31.
Eurowings is expanding its long-haul flights from Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) for the winter 2025-26 schedule, introducing a new route to Abu Dhabi and increasing flights to Dubai. Starting Nov. 3, the LCC will operate flights to Abu Dhabi three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The airline is also expanding service to Dubai, flying daily from Oct. 26, and increasing to 11X-weekly from Nov. 4. Additionally, Eurowings will continue its flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, twice a week.
March 3
IndiGo is expanding its international network with the launch of two new routes. Starting March 22, the LCC will operate 4X-weekly direct from Mumbai to Seychelles. Additionally, IndiGo will launch a daily flight between Kochi and Ras Al Khaimah from March 15, further strengthening ties between the Kerala region and the United Arab Emirates.
Transavia has launched its first flight from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Skopje, adding North Macedonia’s capital to its growing European network. The airline will operate 2X-weekly flights to Skopje on Thursdays and Sundays, with a flight time of approximately 2 hr. 30 min. The majority of flights will be operated using the Airbus A321neo equipment. Additionally, Transavia will resume flights from Schiphol to Agadir, Morocco, on April 1.
Libyan Wings has launched a new service between Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport and Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport (AMM), with 2X-weekly flights operating on Sundays and Wednesdays. Nicolas Deviller, CEO of AMM operator Airport International Group, says the new route is a “significant step in strengthening air connectivity between Jordan and Libya.”
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