50 New Routes Starting In July 2023

Middle Eastern carriers Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways and Saudia are behind some of the more eye-catching routes starting in July.

Emirates is launching a new daily service from Dubai International to Montreal, which will become the airline’s second gateway in Canada. The move follows a recent air transport agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Canada, which has increased the number of flights available between the two countries by 50%. Under the new agreement, each country will now be allotted 21 flights per week.

From July 5, Emirates will offer daily flights to Montreal Trudeau using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The route will complement the carrier’s existing service to Toronto Pearson, which has operated since 2007. It increases Emirates’ network to 18 points in the Americas—with two in Canada and 12 in the U.S., alongside Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Fellow Gulf carrier Qatar Airways is also expanding its network this month with a pair of routes to destinations in France—two of seven new services announced by CEO Akbar Al Baker in March. Flights from Doha to Lyon started on July 3, operating four times a week using 787-8 aircraft. Additionally, a 3X-weekly service to Toulouse will begin on July 18, utilizing Airbus A330-200s. These cities join Qatar Airways’ existing French destinations of Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Nice.

Saudi Arabian flag-carrier Saudia is also expanding its European network by inaugurating a route connecting Jeddah and Birmingham, England. The service, which started on July 2, will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, utilizing 787 aircraft. Birmingham is the airline’s fourth destination in the UK, adding to London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester. The new route is expected to attract leisure, VFR and religious traffic.

In the Asia-Pacific region, China Airlines is among the carriers opening new routes with the launch of flights between Taiwan's largest airport Taipei Taoyuan and Prague. Operations will start on July 18, operating twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The route will use A350 aircraft.

Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that China Airlines will become the sole operator of nonstop service between Taiwan and the Czech Republic. Prague previously had connections to mainland China before the pandemic—to Beijing Capital, Chengdu, Shanghai Pudong and Xi'an Xianyang—but those destinations remain suspended for now.

Chinese carrier Xiamen Airlines also plans to restore flights to France with a new nonstop connection to Paris. The airline initially launched service to CDG in December 2018, operating three times per week from its base in Fuzhou. However, regular operations were halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis, resulting in the city’s absence from Xiamen Airlines’ network ever since.

The carrier intends to return on July 6, opening a route linking Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport and CDG. Flights will be offered once a week using Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Elsewhere, Batik Air Malaysia is launching a new route between Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Australia’s Adelaide Airport, while Hong Kong Airlines will make Nagoya its sixth destination in Japan. Starting July 8, the carrier will operate a 4X-weekly route from Hong Kong International Airport to Nagoya Chubu Centrair International Airport, using A330-300s.

In the Americas region, LATAM Airlines Group has added a second nonstop route between Colombia and the U.S. from July 1 with a daily Bogota-Orlando service, and Avianca is bolstering its network from San Salvador, El Salvador, with a nonstop route to Las Vegas. Flights to Harry Reid International Airport are scheduled to commence on July 15, operating three times per week using A320s. According to U.S. Transportation Department passenger data, Avianca will be the first airline to offer a nonstop connection between San Salvador and Las Vegas.

Other notable new routes include Southwest Airlines’ expansion from Long Beach Airport in California after securing extra slots, and Mexican ULCC Volaris’ huge domestic expansion, with the first of 40 new domestic routes starting this month.