The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
May 17
Emirates will resume services to Nigeria from Oct. 1, operating a daily service between Lagos and Dubai. The flights will be operated using a Boeing 777-300ER. The move ends a near two-year suspension over the issue of blocked funds. “We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back onboard,” Emirates CCO Adnan Kazim says. With the resumption of operations to Nigeria, Emirates will serve to 19 gateways in Africa with 157 flights per week from Dubai.
American Airlines is adding eight routes to destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America during the winter 2024-25 season. Three routes from New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) to St. Lucia, St. Maarten and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD) will each be Saturday-only services from Dec. 7, while a fourth JFK route to Bridgetown (BGI), Barbados, will be daily from Nov. 5. Charlotte, North Carolina, sees a Saturday-only service to SVD from Dec. 7, and Miami will be linked to La Romana, Dominican Republic, daily from Dec. 5. Finally, two routes are opening from Philadelphia: BGI will be Saturday-only from Nov. 9 and Liberia, Costa Rica, will be Saturday-only from Dec. 7.
Spain’s Vueling will resume routes from Barcelona to Tel Aviv in June. From June 22, passengers will be able to travel to the Israeli city from Barcelona-El Prat Airport with four weekly services. Flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The LCC suspended flights to Tel Aviv last October due to the Israel-Hamas war.
Alaska Airlines has launched a new daily, nonstop flight between Seattle and Toronto Pearson International Airport—the sixth Canadian city served by the carrier. Operations will be onboard Boeing 737-900 aircraft. “[Alaska’s] service to Seattle will provide much-needed capacity to the market and enhance customer choice,” says Kurush Minocher, executive director for customer experience and airline relations at Greater Toronto Airports Authority.
Canada’s Porter Airlines has inaugurated service to Saskatchewan for the first time with daily nonstop, roundtrip service between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Saskatoon International Airport (YXE). The new service marks the airline's presence in all 10 Canadian provinces for the first time in its history. Flights on the YYZ-YXE sector will be operated using Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. “Serving all 10 provinces is extremely meaningful for us, creating added connectivity between the east and the west,” Porter President Kevin Jackson says.
Hawaiian Airlines has launched a nonstop service between Honolulu and Salt Lake City. Flights will be daily using Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) plans to expand operations to northern Europe in winter 2024-25 with five new services. Service will be offered to Tromso, Kiruna, Rovaniemi and Salen-Trysil Scandinavian Mountains Airport. The carrier currently serves Salen-Trysil from Copenhagen and Aalborg during the winter schedule and will add new routes from Aarhus and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). SAS will also introduce seasonal services from Copenhagen to Rovaniemi and Kiruna and from LHR to Tromso.
May 16
Eurowings has scheduled the launch of two new routes for the winter 2024-25 season. The LCC is to commence a 3X-weekly route between Cologne, Germany, and Dubai from Oct. 28 using Airbus A320neo equipment. Additionally, service will be offered from Düsseldorf to Egypt’s capital Cairo from Oct. 30, operating twice a week onboard A320s.
Pakistani LCC Fly Jinnah is to open a 2X-weekly service between Islamabad and Bahrain. Flights will start on June 13 using Airbus A320 equipment. “We are pleased to announce the launch of our third international route from Islamabad to Bahrain, following the successful launch of our international flights linking Islamabad and Lahore to Sharjah, as well as Islamabad to Muscat, Oman,” the airline says in a statement.
India’s Akasa Air has announced the addition of Gorakhpur as the 23rd destination to its network with flights to and from New Delhi and Bengaluru, starting May 29. The airline will be the sole scheduled operator on the latter route, according to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser. “We are confident that these flights will enhance point-to-point connectivity with two metro cities, increasing mobility and accessibility within Gorakhpur while promoting trade and commerce,” says Akasa Air co-founder and CCO Praveen Iyer.
Kuwait Airways and Saudia have expanded their codeshare partnership. The move will see Kuwait Airways add its code to Saudia flights from Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles and Washington. “We firmly believe that this agreement will enhance commercial and tourism relations between [the U.S.] and Kuwait, and between the Middle East, GCC, Asia and U.S., via Kuwait-Jeddah/Riyadh,” says Kuwait Airways Chairman Abdulmohsen Salem Al-Fagaan.
Pegasus Airlines has opened a 2X-weekly service between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen and Bratislava, Slovakia. The sector becomes the LCC’s 100th international route. Flights will depart on Wednesdays and Sundays. Additionally, Pegasus Airlines also plans to launch Antalya-Bratislava flights from May 18.
Tajikistan-based carrier Somon Air is launching a weekly service between Dushanbe and Tbilisi, Georgia. Flights will begin on May 22, operating with Boeing 737-800s and 737-900s. “We are confident that this regular flight will give impetus to the development and strengthening of bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Georgia, and passengers will be given the opportunity to make direct regular flights between the capitals of the two countries,” Somon Air CEO Abdulkosim Valiev says.
May 15
Taiwanese carrier Starlux has scheduled the launch of a new route connecting Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Hong Kong. Operations on the 500-mi. (434-nm) sector will begin on July 8 with two flights per day. The airline will deploy Airbus A330-900neo and A350-900 aircraft on the route. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, EVA Airways, Greater Bay Airlines, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines all serve the market. Starlux will have a seat capacity share of about 6% once its operations begin.
Zambia Airways plans to open a new 3X-weekly service to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. The inaugural flight is scheduled for June 27. Flights will operate on a Lusaka (LUN)-Dar es Salaam (DAR)-Nairobi (NBO)-Lusaka routing on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. “The network expansion is reflective of our mission of enhancing regional connectivity and making air transport services affordable for a wide range of customers," Zambia Airways CEO Thomas Woldesenbet says. “The launch of services to Dar es Salaam and Nairobi will further strengthen the ties between Zambia and the two East African sister countries and foster trade and tourism.”
Tigerair Taiwan is adding three new international routes from Taichung International Airport (RMQ), located in central Taiwan. Flights to Nagoya, Japan, will start on July 1 and operate twice a week. A second new Japanese route begins the following day, connecting RMQ with Tokyo Narita three times per week. The third route sees the LCC fly to Busan, South Korea, from July 3 with two roundtrips per week. All three routes will use Airbus A320 aircraft and run through Aug. 31. Tigerair Taiwan offers just one international route from RMQ at present, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows, flying daily to Macau International Airport.
TAAG Angola Airlines has resumed operations between Luanda and Lisbon, Portugal, with its own fleet. Service was more recently offered using a wet-lease aircraft from HiFly. TAAG will serve the route twice a day using Boeing 777- 300ER equipment in a three-class configuration. “The Luanda-Lisbon service plays an important role at various levels, from economic dynamization to social cohesion, and this solution represented a commitment, together with HiFly, to guarantee a reliable and efficient service for our passengers,” TAAG CEO Nelson de Oliveira says.
Latvia’s airBaltic and Bulgaria Air have commenced a codeshare partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, airBaltic will add its code to Bulgaria Air’s Sofia-Varna route. Bulgaria Air will place its code on airBaltic’s Sofia-Riga route, as well as onward destinations from Riga to Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm. “This partnership benefits local Baltic travelers with access to the versatile network of Bulgaria Air, and local travelers in Bulgaria can now enjoy easier access to airBaltic’s destinations in Europe,” airBaltic CEO and President Martin Gauss says.
May 14
China’s Spring Airlines has scheduled the launch of a new route to Vietnam. Flights between Shanghai Pudong and Ho Cho Minh City will commence on July 6, operating four times per week using Airbus A320 aircraft. The 1,705-mi. (1,482-nm) sector is currently served daily by China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Vietjet and Vietnam Airlines, according to OAG Schedules Analyser. Spring will account for about 12% of nonstop capacity between the cities once its flights begin.
Southwest Airlines has confirmed its existing route between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Nassau, Bahamas, will switch to Orlando-Nassau from June 4. Flights will operate daily during peak summer though Aug. 4 and will then reduce to 5X-weekly, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows. “Part of our expansion includes an ongoing growth strategy in our southern, central and northern Florida source market, including Orlando, West Palm Beach and Tampa, to attract new airlift,” says Chester Cooper, Bahamas deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investments and aviation. The Bahamas recorded a record 1.7 million foreign air arrivals in 2023, marking a year-on-year rise of 17% and 3.5% higher than in 2019.
Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat has revealed its winter 2024-25 schedule, featuring nearly 300 nonstop flights per week from seven cities in Canada. Highlights include increased frequencies from Montréal to various destinations compared with the previous winter season. These include raising flights to Cancun, Mexico, from 12X-weekly to 2X-daily, to Fort de France, Martinique, from 3X to 4X-weekly, to Lima, Peru, from weekly to 2X-weekly, to Sint Maarten from 3X to 4X-weekly, and to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from 13X-weekly to 2X-daily. Quebec City will see a doubling of flights to Holguin, Cuba, to 2X-weekly, while Halifax-Fort Lauderdale will expand from weekly to 3X-weekly, and Halifax-Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, from weekly to 2X-weekly. Toronto Pearson will also see additional frequencies, with both Cancun and Punta Cana increasing from 12X-weekly to 2X-daily, and San Jose, Costa Rica, from weekly to 3X-weekly.
Turkish Airlines has increased capacity between Istanbul Airport and Vienna Airport. Frequencies on the 759-mi. (660-nm) route have risen from 28X-weekly to 30X-weekly with additional service on Mondays and Wednesdays. The airline plans to expand service further in June, taking frequencies to 34X-weekly.
May 13
Emirates will resume flights to Edinburgh Airport (EDI) starting from Nov. 4. The return to the Scottish capital will complement the airline’s current Airbus A380 daily flight to Glasgow and offer passengers 14X-weekly flights to and from the country. The Dubai-Edinburgh route will be served using A350-900s in a three-class configuration. Additionally, Türkiye’s Pegasus Airlines has confirmed it will launch a new route to EDI from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport on June 27. The nonstop service will operate twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays.
Greek carrier Aegean and Saudi Arabia’s Saudia have signed a codeshare agreement. Through the partnership, Aegean will add its code on Saudia flights from Jeddah and Riyadh to Athens. Likewise, Saudia will add its code on the same two routes operated by Aegean. “Following Aegean’s 10 years of presence in Saudi Arabia … we will be able to enhance the options to the increased needs of our customers and strengthen the mutual goal of increasing traffic between the two countries with direct services,” says Yannis Rasoglou, Aegean network planning and airline partnerships director.
Cayman Airways is ending flights between Grand Cayman and Barbados. Flights to Bridgetown will be reduced from 2X-weekly to 1X-weekly from May 17, before being suspended on July 3. Andrea Franklin, CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), says the suspension follows an evaluation of the route’s performance, following which both BTMI and Cayman Airways “mutually agreed to terminate the arrangement.” The route was established to enhance airlift between Barbados, the northern Caribbean and the West Coast of the U.S. However, recent announcements by BTMI regarding increased seat capacity from key markets contributed to the termination.
Nauru Airlines is launching a new scheduled route connecting Brisbane, Australia, with Palau, an archipelago of more than 500 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Flights will commence on May 21, operating once a week using Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft. “We are extremely excited to introduce an air route directly linking Palau and Australia, opening new opportunities for tourism, cargo and commerce,” Nauru Airlines CEO Brett Gebers says.
Indian LCC IndiGo plans to open a 3X-weekly domestic route between Deoghar and Bengaluru. The airline is the sole carrier operating from Deogarh Airport at present, and the new route will increase its network to five destinations. Deoghar, located in the Indian state of Jharkhand, is home to the Baidyanath Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, which attracts millions of devotees every year.
Luxair is set to suspend a 4X-weekly service between Antwerp, Belgium, and London City Airport at the end of the month. The last flight is scheduled for May 31. The airline launched the route in early 2023 and operated flights year-round. It is the sole carrier to serve the sector, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
SunExpress is adding flights to Glasgow Airport (GLA) during the summer 2025 season, launching routes from Antalya and Dalaman. Starting in April 2025, service from Antalya will be 4X-weekly and 2X-weekly from Dalaman. “Both Antalya and Dalaman are firm favorites with our customers, so the addition of an extra 1,200 seats per week bound for two of Türkiye’s most popular destinations is fantastic news,” says Christopher Tibbett, aero director at AGS Airports, which owns GLA.
Vietnamese LCC Vietjet has launched a new route linking Vietnam’s capital Hanoi with Hiroshima, Japan. The service marks the airline's eighth route between the countries and the only nonstop flights between the two cities. Operations will be twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays.
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