Chile’s Sky Airline has marked the start of the new year with a significant expansion from Uruguay, returning to the country for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.

The carrier previously served Montevideo’s Carrasco International Airport (MVD) year-round from Santiago International Airport (SCL) between September 2016 and April 2019 before operations became seasonal. However, the city has remained absent from the LCC’s network since March 2020.

Sky has now resumed flights to Uruguay’s capital from its two hubs in Santiago and Lima, Peru (LIM), as well as launching fifth-freedom service to Florianópolis (FLN) and Salvador de Bahía (SSA) in Brazil. LIM-MVD-FLN-MVD-LIM will be served three times per week, while SCL-MVD-SSA-MVD-SCL will also receive three weekly flights.

Aeromexico is commencing January 2024 by boosting its U.S. network with three new transborder routes. This follows the restoration of Mexico’s Category 1 safety rating by the FAA last September.

Two new services are being launched to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the hub of partner Delta Air Lines. Daily Embraer 190 flights will commence from Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico, on Jan. 8. Additionally, a 6X-weekly service is opening between Queretaro, Mexico, and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

Other new eye-catching routes starting this month include Hainan Airlines’ return to Africa. The carrier last offered regular scheduled service to the continent more than a decade ago with flights between Beijing and Angola’s capital Luanda, operating via Abu Dhabi.

Starting on Jan. 21, 2024, Hainan Airlines will commence flights from Shenzhen Baoan International Airport to Cairo International Airport. The 5,015-mi. (4,358-nm) sector will be served three times per week using Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

The move also marks the carrier’s return to the Egyptian market, where it previously operated a direct route to Cairo from Beijing Capital International Airport. The service, inaugurated in November 2010, concluded the following year after the 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Elsewhere, Qatar Airways is expanding its network with flights to Medan, Indonesia, from Jan. 15, while Lufthansa intends to resume service to Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana state and the fourth-most-populous city in India.

The Star Alliance member previously offered passenger flights between Frankfurt and Hyderabad in 2011, but the destination has been absent from its network since then. The route will restart on Jan. 16, operating 5X-weekly onboard 787-9s.