The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Nov. 15
Thai AirAsia X is adding a new route from Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport to New Dheli. Flights will start on Dec. 15, initially operating twice a week using Airbus A330 aircraft. Frequencies will rise to 4X-weekly from Jan. 15, 2025. “Thai AirAsia X believes its bridging of Thailand and India will promote strong relations and increase the ease of travel between the two countries,” says Thai AirAsia X CEO Tassapon Bijleveld.
Frontier Airlines has made its return to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) with the launch of nonstop service to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) and Orlando International Airport (MCO). Service to ATL will operate daily, and service to MCO will operate four times per week. This is ahead of daily nonstop service to Tampa International Airport launching next month. “These new flights will generate over $86 million in local economic impact each year,” says Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Vice President for Airline Business Development Paul Bobson.
Norwegian is adding 14 frequencies on the Finish domestic route between Helsinki and Rovaniemi in December and January, increasing capacity 25% year-on-year. The move comes as the LCC prepares to open routes to Rovaniemi from London Gatwick and Munich in December. “We have doubled the number of flights to Rovaniemi from last year, when there were 57 roundtrip flights between December and January. This year, a total of 115 roundtrip flights are available at the same time," says Mira Linnamaa, Norwegian's director of communications and public relations in Finland.
Canada’s Porter Airlines has inaugurated a new route between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Palm Beach International Airport. Palm Beach becomes sixth destination in Florida. Flights will be offered daily using Embraer 195-E2 aircraft.
Nov. 14
Jet2.com is launching a new base at London Luton Airport (LTN) in summer 2025, becoming the leisure carrier’s 13th UK airport base. The carrier plans to offer 17 routes from the airport and up to 36 weekly flights. Two Airbus A321neo aircraft will be based at the airport. “The arrival of Jet2 is fantastic news for the millions of passengers who choose to fly from the airport each year and marks a major expansion of Jet2’s operations in the south of England,” LTN CEO Alberto Martin says.
Iberia will today launch the first scheduled transatlantic flight using Airbus A321XLR aircraft. As previously reported, the airline will deploy the aircraft between Madrid and Boston. “We are very proud to be the first airline in the world to start flights with the A321XLR. This is a real milestone in the aviation industry,” Iberia President Marco Sansavini says. “This new aircraft model allows us to strengthen our network and plan to fly to new destinations in an efficient and comfortable way for all our customers.”
Following the launch of the new services from Siem Reap to Singapore, AirAsia Cambodia has announced two more new international routes. The LCC will commence operations from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from Dec. 22, operating 4X-weekly. A second route to Vietnam will start on Jan. 24, 2025, linking Phnom Penh and Hanoi. Frequencies will be 3X-weekly. “Since launching the airline with domestic services from our main hub in Phnom Penh in May 2024, Cambodia's newest low-cost airline now flies a core domestic route to Siem Reap and will be flying four international routes to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and now also two to Vietnam with the launch of these new services,” AirAsia Cambodia CEO Vissoth Nam says.
South Korea’s Air Premia is increasing frequencies between Seoul Incheon and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. From Jan. 24, 2025, service will rise from 5X-weekly to daily. “As short-distance routes such as Bangkok are expanded, consumers will have more choices, and the company will be able to operate routes and aircraft utilization rates more efficiently,” an Air Premia spokesperson says. “With the introduction of four additional aircraft scheduled by the end of next year, new routes and flights will continue to increase.”
Icelandair has moved forward the planned launch of flights between Reykjavik Keflavik and Nashville. The new route will now start on April 10, 2025, five weeks earlier than previously scheduled. “This accelerated launch of Icelandair's new route is a testament to the excitement surrounding this connection,” Nashville International Airport President and CEO Doug Kreulen says.
Nov. 13
IndiGo is adding flights to a second destination in Malaysia alongside Kuala Lumpur. Daily service from Bengaluru and Langkawi will begin on Dec. 16. Langkawi will become the airline’s 36th international destination and 124th overall. Vinay Malhotra, head of global sales at IndiGo, says Malaysia’s visa waiver for Indian citizens “is bound to create greater demand” for travel between India and Malaysia.
Tigerair Taiwan plans to introduce a new 2X-weekly route connecting Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Sapporo Chitose, Japan. Flights will begin on Jan. 21, operating on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The LCC’s current destinations from Kaohsiung include Tokyo Narita, Nagoya, Osaka, Okayama, Fukuoka, and Okinawa, Japan; Seoul Gimpo, South Korea; Macau, China; and Da Nang and Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam.
Saudi LCC flyadeal has launched a new service from Madinah to Egypt’s capital Cairo. Flights will be 3X-weekly using Airbus A320 aircraft. The new Madinah flights add to flyadeal's frequencies from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to Egypt, up from 39 to 44 per week. “Having successfully operated many international charter flights to Madinah, we take great pride adding international scheduled services for the first time to give Hajj and Umrah pilgrims even more convenient access to the Holy City,” says flyadeal CEO Steve Greenway.
Nov. 12
Cathay Pacific is set to resume nonstop passenger service between Hong Kong and Hyderabad, India, for the first time since March 2022. Flights will commence on March 30, 2025, operating three times per week using Airbus A330-300 aircraft. Frequencies are scheduled to rise to 5X-weekly from Sept. 1. Currently, Cathay Pacific operates 31 return passenger flights per week to four destinations in India, comprising Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, the airline will be the sole operator of flights between Hong Kong and Hyderabad.
Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines plans to launch a new route to mainland China. Flights to Huangshan will start on Dec. 4, operating three times per week using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The service will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline will be the sole carrier to serve the route.
Ryanair has commenced operations to Linz Airport, Austria. Linz becomes the fourth airport in the country to be served by the ULCC alongside Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Vienna. Ryanair will serve Linz four times per week from London Stansted Airport during the winter 2024-25 season.
Dubai-based flydubai has inaugurated daily flights to Bhairahawa, Nepal, marking its second destination in the country after Kathmandu. The new daily service from Dubai International Airport aims to boost trade and tourism between the United Arab Emirates and Nepal. Return flights will operate via Kathmandu. Meanwhile, Nepal Airlines has commenced a 4X-weekly Kathmandu-Siddharthanagar-Dubai International-Kathmandu service with Airbus A320 equipment.
Saudi Arabia’s flyadeal has launched a 2X-weekly Jeddah-Sohag service, increasing the LCC's Egypt operations to 44X-weekly frequencies. The Sohag route will be operated using Airbus A320 equipment.
Indian LCC IndiGo is to introduce a domestic route between Goa and Bhopal on Dec. 1. The sector will be served 6X-weekly. “With our exclusive direct connection between Goa and Bhopal, we will now offer 400 average weekly flights to Goa (Dabolim and Mopa) from 22 cities in India,” says Vinay Malhotra, head of global sales at IndiGo.
Nov. 11
Saudi Arabia’s flyadeal will launch three new domestic routes from Dammam in January 2025. Daily flights to Najran and 4X-weekly flights to Tabuk will begin on Jan. 1, while Yanbu will be added with 3X-weekly flights from Jan. 2. “Having well-established bases in Riyadh and Jeddah, flyadeal is building its presence in the Eastern Province by adding frequency on existing routes and introducing three new destinations connecting to the region’s capital Dammam,” flyadeal CEO Steve Greenway says.
Flydubai and Malaysia’s Batik Air have signed an interline agreement, expanding connectivity between the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and beyond. The partnership allows flydubai passengers to access more than 40 destinations in Southeast Asia via Kuala Lumpur, including Jakarta, Osaka and Sydney. Batik Air passengers gain access to 38 flydubai destinations such as Entebbe, Milan-Bergamo and Prague.
Spanish carrier Volotea has launched a new route connecting Barcelona and Ancona, Italy. The service will operate twice a week. Barcelona becomes the second international route to be served by the LCC from Ancona in addition to Paris Orly. “These international connections—added the domestic routes to Catania, Olbia and Palermo—contribute to the strengthening of incoming tourism, creating new growth opportunities for the entire territory,” says Valeria Rebasti, international market director at Volotea.
AirAsia Cambodia has launched its inaugural flight from Siem Reap to Singapore, marking its first international route from Cambodia. Service will be 4X-weekly. “As AirAsia Group celebrates its 20 years of excellence in Singapore, we remain focused on creating new opportunities for Singaporeans to explore what Siem Reap has to offer as well as our guests from around ASEAN and beyond, driven by our commitment to providing affordable connectivity for travelers of all backgrounds,” says Vissoth Nam, CEO of AirAsia Cambodia.
Cebu Pacific is to commence direct flights between Manila and Sapporo starting Jan. 16, 2025. The 3X-weekly service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, cutting travel time to the Japanese city to about 5 hr. “We are excited to offer more Filipinos the opportunity to experience the winter charm of Sapporo," says Xander Lao, Cebu Pacific president and CCO.
Jazeera Airways has relaunched direct flights from Kuwait to Bhairahawa, Nepal, marking its second destination in the country. The airline now offers 3X-weekly flights to Bhairahawa, complementing its daily service to Kathmandu. Under a recent agreement between the governments of Kuwait and Nepal, around 200,000 new Nepali workers are expected to join the workforce in Kuwait, further increasing demand for travel between the two nations.
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