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

Aug. 25

Vueling is opening a third route to Egypt from Barcelona, Spain, during the upcoming northern winter season. Flights from Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) to Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH) will begin Dec. 2 and run through March 30, operating weekly on Saturdays. The Spanish LCC also serves Cairo and the southern Egyptian city of Luxor from BCN. Vueling will become the sole carrier providing nonstop flights between BCN and SSH, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows.

Startup BermudAir has opened reservations for its inaugural three routes. Service will begin with flights from Bermuda L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA) to Boston Logan International Airport and New York's Westchester County Airport from Aug. 31, followed by flights from BDA to Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from Sept. 22. The airline will use 88-seat Embraer E175 aircraft on the routes, although only 44 seats will be sold for each flight.

From Dec. 1, Avianca is adding a new route from Medellín, Colombia, to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The nonstop service to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport will be 4X-weekly using 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. The route will be offered every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Avianca currently flies between Colombia's capital, Bogotá, and San Juan eight times per week. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows it will be the sole provider of nonstop Medellín-San Juan flights.

Canada’s Lynx Air has launched its first flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. The route will be served five times per week. The ULCC already operates flights between Toronto and Orlando, Florida, and will add Phoenix and Florida's Fort Myers and Tampa Bay to its Toronto network in the coming months. By December 2023, Lynx will fly more than 22,000 seats per week across its North American network to and from Toronto, representing a 260% growth over the previous year.

Australian startup Bonza has announced plans for its first route to Tasmania. The LCC will offer year-round flights between Gold Coast Airport and Launceston Airport from Nov. 21. Frequencies will be 3X-weekly on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. “These year-round services will make it much easier for Tasmanians to enjoy Australia’s favorite holiday hotspot, but it also opens the door for thousands more tourists from southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales to visit our state,” Launceston Airport CEO Shane O’Hare says.

Batik Air Malaysia has commenced a 6X-weekly service connecting Kuala Lumpur International Airport with Auckland Airport. The route operates via Perth Airport, Australia, using Boeing 737-8 aircraft leased from Wamos Air. About 85,000 of the New Zealanders resident in Australia call Western Australia home, driving strong VFR traffic. “Pre-pandemic, around 143,000 people traveled between Auckland and Perth,” Auckland Airport Chief Customer Officer Scott Tasker says. “We’ve seen a really strong recovery in those numbers, which are back to around 96% of 2019 traveller numbers, which is higher than the 77% for the overall international recovery.”

Aug. 24

Saudi flag-carrier Saudia has filed plans to operate its first regular scheduled flights to South Africa since before the pandemic. Service between Jeddah and Johannesburg will resume on Dec. 1, operating four times per week. The airline will deploy Boeing 787-9 aircraft on the route, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows. The route will be the sole nonstop connection between Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

China Southern Airlines plans to increase Guangzhou-Los Angeles frequencies from 2X to 4X-weekly, commencing Sept. 1. The airline is the sole scheduled operator on the route. The expansion comes after China and the U.S. agreed to double the number of roundtrip flights to 24 per week by the end of October.

U.S. startup Northern Pacific Airways has confirmed the continuation of its sole route between Ontario, California, and Las Vegas following reports that ticket sales had been halted. The airline says booking is available through Oct. 2 for the route, which operates on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

IndiGo will recommence operations between New Delhi and Hong Kong from Oct. 5. Service will be daily. “Hong Kong occupies a pivotal role as a favored destination for both Indian tourists as well as enterprising business travelers,” IndiGo Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra says. “As a frontrunner in the aviation domain, we are resolute in meeting this surging demand by expanding flight options to bolster accessibility and catalyze economic growth.”

EasyJet is increasing frequencies on four Spanish routes from Liverpool, England, during the winter 2023-24 season. Service to Lanzarote grows to 4X-weekly, Malaga to 5X-weekly, Palma de Mallorca to 3X-weekly and Tenerife to 6X-weekly.

Aug. 23

Ethiopian Airlines plans to increase Addis Ababa-Seoul Incheon frequency to 6X-weekly from Oct. 28. The airline will also deploy Airbus A350-900 aircraft on the route. The carrier says the frequency increase follows “fruitful discussions” between the aviation authorities of Ethiopia and South Korea. “Ethiopian is the only African carrier connecting Seoul to the continent and beyond, and the additional frequencies will be significant in fostering economic, cultural and social interactions, providing more diverse and convenient connectivity options to travelers,” CEO Mesfin Tasew adds.

Japan Airlines has announced plans to increase frequency on four international services during the winter 2023-24 season. From Oct. 29, Tokyo Narita-Hong Kong grows from 3X to 5X-weekly; Osaka Kansai-Honolulu from 4X to 5X-weekly; and Nagoya-Honolulu from 3X to 4X-weekly. Service between Osaka Kansai and Los Angeles also rises from 4X to 5X-weekly from Nov. 6.

Transavia France is opening routes from Nantes and Lyon to Cairo during the winter season. The LCC plans to serve Nantes-Cairo once a week on Fridays from Dec. 22, with a 2X-weekly Lyon-Cairo service starting on the same day. Deputy General Manager for Sales and Marketing Nicolas Hénin says: “Egypt is a key market for Transavia and an essential destination in winter. We will be the only company to operate flights on these two routes.”

Aug. 22

Uganda Airlines CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki has confirmed that the carrier intends to begin flights to Mumbai, India. Service from Entebbe International Airport will start on Oct. 7, initially operating three times per week. “Slowly, as we see the route growing, we will ramp up operations and flights,” Bamuturaki says.

Cebu Pacific will launch a new route between Manila, Philippines, and Da Nang, Vietnam, in December. Flights will start on Dec. 7 and be offered three times per week using Airbus A320neo aircraft. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows the airline will be the sole operator of nonstop flights between the destinations.

LCC IndiGo has announced plans to begin flying to two more Indian cities, Khajuraho and Jaisalmer, taking its domestic network to 81 destinations. The airline will launch daily direct flights between Varanasi and Khajuraho and one-stop daily connectivity between Delhi-Khajuraho via Varanasi. Flights will commence from Oct. 10. Additionally, daily service will start between Jaisalmer-Delhi, Jaisalmer-Mumbai, Jaisalmer-Jaipur and Jaisalmer-Ahmedabad, effective Oct. 12. 

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi has scheduled a new service linking Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) and Lar, Iran. A route to Larestan International Airport will start on Sept. 14, operating three times per week aboard Airbus A320s. The airline already offers one route from AUH to Iran, flying to the capital’s Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport three times per week with A320s.

Saudi Arabia’s Flynas has inaugurated a route between Jeddah and Osh, the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan. The route was launched in collaboration with the Saudi Air Connectivity Program (ACP). Flights will be offered three times per week every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Additionally, the LCC plans to introduce another route to Kyrgyzstan early in October, operating 3X-weekly from Jeddah to the capital Bishkek.
 

Aug. 21

UK LCC easyJet intends to launch flights between Amsterdam and Aqaba, Jordan, during the northern winter season, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows. Flights will start on Nov. 1 using Airbus A320 aircraft. The carrier has also filed plans to commence a weekly service connecting Geneva, Switzerland, with Lanzarote, Spain. Operations are scheduled to begin on Nov. 4, with frequencies set to increase to 2X-weekly from Dec. 5.

Spanish carrier Binter Canarias is to resume flying to Nouadhibou, Mauritania, after an absence of six years. Flights will be offered from Gran Canaria, starting on Aug. 29. The service will operate once a week on Tuesdays using ATR 72s. The airline already operates one route to Mauritania, linking Gran Canaria with Nouakchott three times per week with Embraer 195 E2 equipment.

Russian airline Aeroflot is restarting flights to Phuket, Thailand, from both Vladivostok and Krasnoyarsk. Service will start on Oct. 4 from Vladivostok and Oct. 6 from Krasnoyarsk. In June, the carrier launched regular flights to Bangkok from Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk, as well as to Phuket from Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk.