The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
March 8
ITA Airways and Aeromexico have signed a new codeshare agreement effective from March 10. Passengers traveling with Aeromexico between Mexico City and Rome Fiumicino will be able to connect to 15 domestic destinations in Italy served by ITA. Meanwhile, ITA passengers will have access to 28 destinations in Mexico served by Aeromexico. “Through this agreement, customers will be able to travel using a single ticket, checking baggage from origin to destination to cities such as Milan, Genoa, Florence, Naples and Turin, among others, as well as to Cancun, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta and Merida,” the airlines said in a statement.
Australia’s National Jet Express, part of the Rex Group, has commenced a new route between Perth and the new West Musgrave Airport, located in remote Western Australia near the South Australian and Northern Territory borders. The launch came as the airline added a seventh Embraer E190 aircraft to its fleet and follows the introduction of a ninth De Havilland Dash 8-400 in October 2023. The route to West Musgrave marks the third new airport for National Jet Express in the past month, joining Gruyere and Gladstone in the carrier’s route network.
Eurowings is adding new routes from Stockholm Arlanda Airport to Hannover, Germany, and Naples, Italy. Service to Hannover will be offered twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays from May 1, while flights to Naples will also be 2X-weekly starting on June 14. Both routes will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft. “Eurowings investment in new direct routes shows great confidence in the Swedish air travel market, and they are an important partner in us being able to offer a wide range of destinations at our airport,” says Elizabeth Axtelius, director for aviation business at Swedish airport operator Swedavia.
Ryanair has confirmed 10 new summer 2024 routes from the Puglia region of Italy. Eight will be offered from Bari—to Athens, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Malaga, Katowice, Rhodes, Tirana and Toulouse—and two from Brindisi to Gdansk and Trieste. Three aircraft will be based in Bari and two in Brindisi, operating 57 and 23 routes, respectively, during the summer season.
Scottish carrier Loganair is to resume a 3X-weekly service between Glasgow and Donegal, Ireland, using ATR 42 equipment. Service will rise to 4X-weekly between July 6 and Aug. 17. The route will continue to be operated twice a week during the winter 2024-25 season. “Loganair’s commitment to a year-round schedule between Donegal and Glasgow demonstrates a real vote of confidence in this strategically important route,” Donegal Airport MD Eilís Docherty says. “Year-round frequency gives the opportunity to develop the route and encourage further tourism travel between these two exciting regions.”
March 7
Porter Airlines and Air Transat have applied to the U.S. Transportation Department to provide reciprocal codeshare services between Canada and the U.S. and beyond. The carriers say that granting authority will be in the public interest. “The services described … will expand options for the traveling public for not only transborder traffic, but also for traffic behind and beyond Canada, expanding transatlantic travel options for travelers in the U.S.,” the application adds. The airlines are seeking expedited processing of the application to begin offering codeshare services as soon as possible. Porter and Air Transat announced last November plans to launch a joint venture.
Emirates has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with both ITA Airways and Icelandair. The agreement with ITA sees the carriers expand their existing interline into a full codeshare partnership. Once implemented, the agreement will allow Emirates to add its code to several points in Italy served by ITA from Rome Fiumicino, including Florence, Genoa, Palermo and Trieste. It will also cover flights to select European cities such as Sofia, Bulgaria, and Tirana, Albania. ITA passengers will also be able to connect to Emirates’ route network from Dubai via the airline’s Rome service. Separately, Emirates and Icelandair will work toward a codeshare agreement following the signing of an MoU at the ITB Travel Trade Show in Berlin. “Their network complements our European presence, providing an array of connections for our customers to diversify their journeys,” Emirates Deputy President and CCO Adnan Kazim says.
A 3X-weekly service between Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Maun, Botswana, is being launched by Ethiopian Airlines. Service will commence on June 10. Maun will be Ethiopian’s second destination in Botswana after Gaborone, which has been served since 2016.
Saudi Arabian LCC Flynas is launching a new route between Jeddah and Berlin (BER). Flights will start on Sept. 4, operating three times a week using Airbus A320neo aircraft. “This increases connectivity and boosts BER as an airport location. At the same time, it is good for the capital region because the connection is interesting for business travelers and tourists from Saudi Arabia,” Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg CEO Aletta von Massenbach says. Details of Flynas’ new route follow confirmation from Eurowings that it plans to serve Berlin-Jeddah during the winter 2024-25 season.
Turkmenistan Airlines has opened flights from Ashgabat to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Flights will be offered twice a week using Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. “The opening of direct flights between Ashgabat and Ho Chi Minh City will expand opportunities for the development of trade, economic and cultural ties between Turkmenistan and Vietnam,” the carrier says in a statement.
IndiGo has announced four new domestic routes. The Indian LCC will operate daily direct flights between Amritsar-Hyderabad and Srinagar-Bengaluru, starting from March 31. Three flights per week will also be offered between Surat-Pune and Chandigarh-Jammu from March 31 and April 2, respectively.
South African Airways (SAA) has confirmed that its seasonal service between Johannesburg and Gqeberha, formally known as Port Elizabeth, will now operate year-round. This means the carrier will continue to offer 2X-daily service beyond March 31. “This decision reflects SAA’s commitment to expanding its network not only for regional and international, but also for domestic customers and aims at improving convenience for its customers,” the airline says in a statement.
JetSMART has launched a new route between Peru’s capital Lima and Quito, Ecuador. Frequencies will be 3X-weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The new service comes ahead of the ULCC opening a line between Lima and Guayaquil, Ecuador. “This flight marks the beginning of a series of more than 312 flights that we plan to operate during our first year in Ecuador, consolidating our commitment to expansion and accessibility in the Ecuadorian air market,” JetSMART Peru Commercial Manager Benjamín Dulanto says.
Maldives flag-carrier Maldivian is resuming flights between Hanimaadhoo International Airport and Trivadrum, India, from April 12. The route will be operated twice a week on Mondays and Fridays using De Havilland Canada Dash 8s. “This route greatly benefits our customers and the economy of the northern area of the Maldives,” Maldivian MD Ibrahim Iyas says. “It reflects our commitment to improve air connectivity in the north region, which will boost the travel trade and support the socioeconomic growth of the Maldives.”
March 6
Eurowings is expanding its presence in the Middle East during the winter 2024-25 season. The German LCC will launch new routes to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from both Berlin and Cologne/Bonn. Each route will operate three times per week. Additionally, Berlin-Dubai will increase from 4X-weekly to daily, while Stuttgart-Dubai rises from 2X to 3X-weekly.
Latvia’s airBaltic is further expanding its network from Lithuania’s capital Vilnius with two new routes. Flights to Hamburg, Germany, will start on May 2, followed by service to Lisbon, Portugal, two days later. Both routes will be served twice a week using Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
Icelandic carrier Play has opened reservations for a new route to Marrakech, Morocco. Operations from Reykjavik will start on Oct. 17 with two flights per week on Thursdays and Sundays. The route is being launched in partnership with the Moroccan National Tourist Office. “We want to make travel more affordable, and I am sure our Marrakech services will be well received by people who want to visit our beautiful country of Iceland,” Play CEO Birgir Jónsson says. Play has also confirmed plans to open a Reykjavik-Madeira, Portugal, service from Oct. 15. Frequencies will be 2X-weekly.
Irish ULCC Ryanair plans to reduce capacity at Warsaw Modlin Airport by 20% year-on-year during the summer 2024 season. The airline says it has removed 500,000 seats and 10 routes from the airport, as well as reducing connectivity on a further 15 routes. Two aircraft will be relocated to Katowice and Poznan, Poland.
Porter Airlines has inaugurated a new daily route between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport. Service will be offered using Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, featuring a 132-seat, all-economy configuration. “The route will support the 1.4 million Canadian tourists that visit Las Vegas annually and will facilitate strong business connections,” says Zaib Shaikh, consul general of Canada in Los Angeles.
Indian LCC IndiGo will begin operations from its 87th domestic destination starting March 31. Flights from Jagdalpur will take off to Hyderabad, operating daily, followed by a 4X-weekly service from Jagdalpur to Raipur from April 1. “The new flights will not only increase Jagdalpur’s accessibility to the rest of the nation but also to international destinations via Hyderabad,” Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra says.
Croatia Airlines has outlined plans to launch four new routes this summer. Flights from Zagreb to Berlin and Stockholm Arlanda will be offered 3X-weekly, while Zagreb-Tirana, Albania, will be served twice a week. The airline also intends to fly Split-Istanbul three times a week. Overall, the carrier intends to connect Croatia with 28 international destinations across 50 international routes during the season.
March 5
Vietjet is further expanding its international network with new routes from Vietnam’s capital Hanoi to Hiroshima in Japan and Melbourne in Australia. Flights to Melbourne will begin on June 3, operating twice a week. The LCC already operates 58 flights per week between Ho Chi Minh City and Australian cities Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Operations to Hiroshima commence on May 12 with two return services per week. The new route increases Vietjet’s network between Vietnam and Japan to eight direct services.
Jetstar Asia has is launching two routes to Krabi, Thailand, and Clark, Philippines. Commencing on June 7, the LCC will fly from Singapore’s Changi International Airport to Krabi six times per week. Operation to Clark will start on June 16, initially running at 4X-weekly frequencies before rising to 5X-weekly from Oct. 18. Both routes will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft. Clark marks a resumption of service, but Krabi is a new destination for Jetstar Asia. Jetstar Asia CEO John Simeone says the move reinforces the airline’s commitment to expanding its Southeast Asian network.
Eurowings and Aegean Airlines have unveiled a new codeshare partnership. Greece’s Aegean will place its A3 code on flights operated by Eurowings connecting Heraklion and Thessaloniki with Eurowings bases in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Eurowings will place its code on Aegean flights from Athens and Thessaloniki to points in Germany and the Czech Republic. The airlines say they expect to “gradually expand the joint route offering.”
Royal Jordanian has inaugurated a new service to London Stansted Airport (STN) from Amman, marking the airline’s first route to the UK airport. Service from Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport will be four times per week, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. “The route will give tourists the opportunity to visit this wonderful country and see the golden triangle, which includes the Wadi Rum desert, Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world, and Aqaba, a popular diving site on the Red Sea,” STN’s Aviation Director Simon Gorrighan says.
AirAsia has opened a new route between Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and Seoul. The route to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport increases the LCC’s network to 18 routes and 282 weekly frequencies to and from Kota Kinabalu. “As we continue to grow our East Malaysia hub, this expansion reinforces Kota Kinabalu's position as a dynamic aviation base, boasting nine domestic and nine international destinations,” AirAsia Aviation Group CEO Bo Lingam says.
March 4
Pakistan-based LCC Fly Jinnah is opening a route connecting Lahore and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Flights will be daily from March 27 using Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline, a joint venture between Air Arabia and Pakistan's Lakson Group, recently launched an Islamabad-Sharjah route, marking its first international service.
Vietjet has inaugurated a new domestic route connecting Vietnam’s capital Hanoi with Dien Bien. The move marks the airline's second route to Dien Bien following the launch of service from Ho Chi Minh City two months ago. Operations between Hanoi and Dien Bien will be 3X-weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Canada’s WestJet has resumed flights between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Dublin International Airport. Frequencies will be daily through mid-October. “Service between Toronto and Dublin continues be an important part of WestJet's story, and we celebrate a decade of service that has strengthened ties between our two countries,” says John Weatherill, WestJet Group executive vice president and CCO.
Lufthansa is adding four new summer-season services. From Munich, operations to Trondheim in Norway will begin on April 28, operating 2X-weekly. A 3X-weekly service from Munich to Nantes in France will also begin on the same day, while a winter route to Oulu in Finland will be extended through the summer months, flying twice a week. Moldova’s capital Chișinău will also join Lufthansa’s network from Frankfurt, starting April 29 and operating 5X-weekly.
UK leisure carrier EasyJet is increasing capacity to Paris and Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from London Southend Airport this summer. The airline will operate an extra Sunday service to Paris Charles de Gaulle between July and August, in addition to its existing flights on Mondays and Fridays during this period. The LCC is also adding an extra Thursday flight each week to Palma de Mallorca over the peak season between June 27 and Oct. 24, increasing frequencies to up to 8X-weekly.
Maldivian, the flag-carrier of the Maldives, has announced a new service to Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo, Sri Lanka, starting from April 25. “The new route to Colombo represents an exciting milestone for both Maldivian and the travelers seeking seamless connectivity between the Maldives and Sri Lanka,” the airline says in a statement.
Qatar Airways has resumed daily flights between Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) and Osaka Kansai International Airport (KIX), Japan. The route is operated by Airbus A350-900 aircraft, equipped with 36 business-class seats and 247 in economy. As part of its codeshare partnership with Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways now offers domestic connectivity in Japan to 34 destinations. Japan Airlines passengers also have access to 14 destinations on Qatar Airways’ network via Doha.
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