Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C Oct. 21, 2024)

The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.

Oct. 25

Oct. 24

Fiji Airways will open service between Fiji’s Nadi International Airport (NAN) and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) from Dec. 10. The route, with a flight time of around 13 hr., will be operated 3X-weekly with an Airbus A350-900 aircraft. “The new Fiji-Dallas service is set to bring more than 1,000 passengers a week into Fiji alone, helping to bolster the nation’s tourism industry,” CEO Andre Viljoen said. “The overnight flight will also offer our customers increased connections to North America from the South Pacific and beyond.” DFW will become Fiji Airways’ 24th international destination and the 4th in the U.S. It currently serves Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The airline also serves Vancouver.

Vietjet launched flights between Da Nang, Vietnam, and Ahmedabad, India, on Oct. 23. The route will be flown 2X-weekly. The service brings the airline’s total routes between Vietnam and India to eight, with 60 flights operated per week. In addition to Ahmedabad, Vietjet serves Indian cities Kochi, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Air Tahiti Nui, which serves French Polynesia, has entered into a codeshare agreement with Air Rarotonga, which operates interisland services in the Cook Islands. “By working together, we are ensuring that visitors and residents alike can explore the natural beauty and vibrant cultures of both Tahiti and the Cook Islands with greater ease and flexibility,” Air Rarotonga MD Ewan Smith said. “This partnership represents a significant step forward in improving access between our two island nations.”

UK carrier Jet2CityBreaks will operate seasonal service between Birmingham, England, and Vienna from Nov. 4 to April 28, 2025. The route will be operated 2X-weekly.

Oct. 23

IndiGo has announced plans to launch a new route connecting Pune with Bangkok. The service will become the LCC’s first direct international flight from Pune once operations begin on Nov. 22. Flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport will be 3X-weekly. “With the introduction of these flights, IndiGo will now operate over 85 direct, weekly, flights to Thailand from eight cities in India,” says IndiGo Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra.

South Africa’s Flysafair has commenced flights between Cape Town and Windhoek, Namibia. The route to Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport will be served twice a week using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data. Flysafair will compete on the sector with Airlink, which provides 19 flights per week between the destinations. “It has been a long-time goal of ours to expand into the Windhoek market, and with more aircraft availability in Cape Town, we have been able to make this a reality, enhancing connectivity between two popular destinations in southern Africa,” says Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer at FlySafair.

Air China has confirmed that it will open a new route between Shanghai Pudong and Hanoi from Oct. 27. The service will use Airbus A321 aircraft, operating daily. The addition will see Air China compete on the route with China Eastern Airlines and Vietnam Airlines, which provide 2X-daily and daily services, respectively.

Flydubai is increasing its network in Nepal with the addition of a second route to the country. The LCC plans to launch a daily service connecting Dubai International Airport and Bhairahawa Airport in Siddharthanagar from Nov. 10. The airline started operating to Nepal with the launch of flights to Kathmandu in 2009 and has since carried more than 3 million passengers between Nepal and the United Arab Emirates. Emirates will codeshare on the new flydubai route.

Transavia France plans to introduce a new summer service to Portugal from Bordeaux Airport. Operations to Faro will start on July 7, 2025, with two flights per week. Additionally, the LCC is opening a new 2X-weekly route from Paris Orly to Chisinau, Moldova, on the same date.

Delta Air Lines is resuming flights between Tampa, Florida, and Amsterdam from Oct. 26 after an absence of five years. The route will be operated daily using Airbus A330-300 aircraft through March 29, 2025.

Oct. 22

Air Arabia Egypt is launching a new route between Cairo and Kuwait starting Jan. 14, 2025. The service will connect Cairo International Airport and Kuwait International Airport with three flights per week using Airbus A320 aircraft. With the addition of Kuwait, the LCC now operates nonstop flights from its two main airport bases in Cairo and Alexandria to 15 cities: Abha, Al-Jouf, Dammam, Gassim, Gizan, Hail, Jeddah, Riyadh, Tabuk and Taif in Saudi Arabia; Amman, Jordan; Milan Bergamo, Italy; Muscat, Oman; and Istanbul-Sabiha, Turkey.

Aeroitalia plans to open a new Italian domestic service between Comiso and Perugia. Flights will be 2X-weekly from Dec. 15. The carrier will also resume Perugia-Lamezia Terme service from Dec. 14. However, Aeroitalia will temporarily suspend flights to Romania during the forthcoming winter 2024-25 season. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, the airline currently operates three routes to Bacau—from Cuneo, Milan Bergamo and Rome Fiumicino—as well as a Rome Fiumicino-Bucharest Henri Coanda service.

Swiss has confirmed that flights to Tel Aviv will remain suspended up to and including Nov. 10. “This measure is intended to provide more predictability for both our passengers and our crews,” a statement from the carrier says.

HK Express plans to commence flights between Hong Kong and Shizuoka, Japan, in December. Service to Mount Fuji Shizuoka Airport will be 3X-weekly from Dec. 17, marking the first direct flights between the destinations. Following the recent announcement of routes to Hiroshima and Sendai, Shizuoka becomes the third Japanese destination introduced by HK Express this year.

Oct. 21
 

Gulf Air is increasing service between Bahrain and Singapore. Starting Oct. 27, the number of frequencies will rise from 3X-weekly to daily using Boeing 787-9 equipment. “This development is part of Gulf Air's broader strategy to strengthen its global network, focusing on key destinations in Asia and the Middle East,” a statement from the carrier says. “The move is expected to cater to the growing demand for travel between the two countries, bolstering connectivity for both business and leisure travelers.”

Finnair plans to expand frequencies from Helsinki to Chicago, Dallas, Seattle and Los Angeles, as well as to Nagoya and Osaka in Japan and Shanghai for the summer 2025 season. The carrier will fly up to daily to Chicago next summer and to Dallas up to 11 times per week, which is five frequencies more than the service to Dallas in summer 2024. Both Seattle and Los Angeles will also get two additional weekly frequencies. Finnair will fly daily to Osaka, which hosts the World Expo 2025, while Nagoya will get one additional weekly flight, taking the route to 4X-weekly. Shanghai will also rise from 3X to 4X-weekly.

Delta Air Lines is scheduled to resume two seasonal services to Bridgetown, Barbados. Daily flights from Atlanta will restart on Nov. 23, followed by a weekly service from New York John F. Kennedy on Dec. 21. Both routes are scheduled to operate through April 2025 using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. “The resumption of this Delta service is evidence of the success of our ongoing programme to grow the U.S. market,” says Barbados Minister of Tourism and International Transport Ian Gooding-Edghill.