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

Dec. 22

DHL Express and Japan Airlines (JAL) signed a long-term contract under which JAL will operate Boeing 767-300ER converted freighters carrying DHL cargo on Asia-Pacific routes. JAL is in the process of taking delivery of three 767-300ER converted freighters and will begin dedicated cargo flights starting in February for the first time in 13 years. “In partnership with DHL, JAL will establish a new business model in their network to connect Japan, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei” with freighters, JAL says in a statement, adding: “The aim is to provide businesses and consumers with a stable and sustainable air cargo network as they trade and purchase internationally.” DHL says the JAL 767 freighters will “further strengthen” the carrier’s “intra-East Asia network.”

Qantas regional subsidiary QantasLink will begin deploying an Airbus A220 on the Melbourne-Canberra domestic route in the first quarter. Qantas Group has started taking delivery of 29 A220s it has on order. The Australian airline notes A220s will have twice the range of the Boeing 717s the new aircraft are replacing, creating new domestic route possibilities.

Growing Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina handled 1.3 million passengers in November, up 17.8% over November 2022 and up 5.7% over November 2019. 

Dec. 21
 

Sun Country Airlines will resume seasonal service between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in the Caribbean. The MSP-SXM route will be flown 1X-weekly between Jan. 13, 2024 and April 6, 2024. Meanwhile, American Airlines has added a third daily flight from Miami to SXM through June. American has also kicked off seasonal daily service to SXM from Charlotte Douglass through March. American additionally operates to SXM from Philadelphia (PHL) 1X-weekly on Saturdays through March.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has selected Austrian firm Doppelmayr to design and construct a new AirTrain system at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey. The design/construction element of the contract totals $570 million, while the company will be paid an estimated $385 million to maintain and operate the people-mover system over a 20-year period. The new EWR AirTrain is slated for a 2029 opening.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) has introduced an artificial-intelligence-driven waste-sorting technology. Known as the Oscar, produced by Intuitive AI, the devices are designed to fit existing trash cans. “When users walk up to the machine, they place an item in front of a camera for the system to analyze,” the Port of Seattle says in a statement. “Oscar then tells the user which bin to use to dispose of the item.” Passengers in the airport will be informed whether to dispose of their waste in compost, recycling or trash. Four of the devices are in use at SEA. “The Oscar units are designed so their cameras do not capture or store identifying information about users, just the waste items they present for sorting,” the Port of Seattle adds, noting that “individuals come to our [airport] from all around the world and they might have different waste bins or rules, so Oscar will help inform them on how to sort here. At SEA, it supports our goal to divert 60% of terminal waste from landfills.”

Dec. 20

Transavia France has announced 13 new routes for the summer 2024 season. Alongside the three already confirmed from Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport, the LCC plans to introduce three from Paris Orly to Comiso and Milan Malpensa in Italy, flying 1X-weekly from April 13 and 6X-weekly from April 4, as well as operating 1X-weekly to Varna in Bulgaria from April 12. Marseille will receive five new routes, flying 2X-weekly to Biarritz, France, from April 12; Heraklion, Greece, from July 7; Palermo, Italy, from April 19; and Stockholm Arlanda from June 6. A 1X-weekly route from Marseille to Antalya, Turkey, will also begin on April 22. The two other new services will see Transavia offering one flight a week between Nantes and Kos, Greece, from April 15, and two per week between Montpellier and Istanbul from April 5.

Avelo Airlines is set to become the first commercial airline to operate from Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL), Florida, in more than a decade. An agreement package has been reached between the airport, airline and Visit Central Florida that paves the way for flights to begin from May 1, 2024. The City of Lakeland has also approved an operating agreement, lease agreement and incentive program based on Avelo’s level of service to LAL. Before flights begin, the airport says it intends to expand its security screening checkpoint and make parking lot modifications.

Delta Air Lines is expanding its route between Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Rio de Janeiro Galeao International Airport to year-round. The route, which previously operated only during the northern winter season, will run daily until late March, when frequencies will reduce to 3X-weekly for the summer period. The route is operated using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.

Romania’s TAROM intends to resume flights to Israel from Jan. 1. The airline said it will operate a Bucharest-Tel Aviv service twice a week. “TAROM continues to monitor the security situation in Israel and is in constant communication with the local and international authorities regarding starting flights to this destination,” the airline said in a statement.

Eurowings has inaugurated a new route between Berlin and Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. The connection will be offered once a week on Mondays using Airbus A320neo aircraft.

Turkish LCC Pegasus Airlines has opened a new service to Kutaisi, a city in west Georgia. Flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen will be operated three times a week using Boeing 737s. Ketevan Mchedlishvili, head of the commercial department of the Association of Georgian Airports, says the new route will further boost traffic at Kutaisi International Airport, which expects to handle about 1.7 million passengers this year.

Norse Atlantic Airways has confirmed that its winter 2024-25 network will include three new routes launched during the current winter schedule. Reservations have already opened for service from London Gatwick to both Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Bridgetown, Barbados, which will each operate once a week between December 2024 and March 2025. Additionally, tickets are on sale for flights between Oslo and Bangkok, which will be served up to three times per week from November 2024 to March 2025.

Dec. 19

Taiwanese carrier Starlux Airlines has expanded its U.S. network with the launch of nonstop flights between Taipei and San Francisco. The city becomes the airline’s second U.S. gateway, after Los Angeles. Flights will initially be operated three times per week using Airbus A350s, rising to daily frequencies from March 20, 2024. Starlux CEO Glenn Chai says: “In January 2020, we took to the skies with three intra-Asia flights. Three years on, by staying focused on our vision and ambition, we have expanded our network and now fly to 22 destinations.”

Air India has launched a new route to Melbourne, Australia. The new service from Mumbai will operate three times a week on a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, complementing the carrier’s existing daily flights between Melbourne and New Delhi. With a population of more than 21 million people, Mumbai was Melbourne Airport’s (MEL) largest unserved market before the inaugural flight. “Coming out of COVID, the Indian market has boomed, with Melbourne Airport welcoming 433,000 Indian residents through the terminals last financial year, which is more than any other Australian airport,” MEL CEO Lorie Argus says.

Transavia France is to expand at Stockholm Arlanda Airport by launching a new direct route from Marseille. The new route will be served twice a week, starting on June 6, 2024. “France is always in high demand, and Transavia plays a significant role in connecting Sweden to well-established markets in southern parts,” says Elizabeth Axtelius, director of aviation business at airport operator Swedavia.

Air Arabia has inaugurated its first flight to Phuket, Thailand. The LCC will serve Phuket International Airport from Sharjah International Airport, United Arab Emirates, four times per week using Airbus A321s.

Dec. 18

Vietnamese LCC Vietjet has opened reservations for flights linking Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Flights will start on Feb. 24, 2024, operating four times per week every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that Vietjet will become the third operator of nonstop Vietnam-Laos flights alongside Lao Airlines and Vietnam Airlines, but the sole carrier to connect Ho Chi Minh City and Vientiane. The move comes as Vietjet commenced daily flights between Hanoi and Siem Reap, Cambodia, on Dec. 16.

Norse Atlantic Airways has operated its first flight from Berlin to Miami. The Florida city joins New York as the airline's second destination out of the German city in its winter network. This new route will be served once a week. “With the direct connectivity of both Miami and New York to Berlin, we are proud to offer an affordable and convenient way to explore these amazing destinations on both sides of the Atlantic,” Norse CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen says.

Frontier Airlines has launched nonstop service from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Las Américas International Airport (SDQ) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The ULCC is currently the only carrier offering nonstop service between PHL and SDQ. With the new route, Frontier serves a total of 28 destinations from PHL, and the airline’s December 2023 schedule represents an increase in seats of more than 70% versus four years ago.

Canada’s Flair Airlines has opened a new route between the Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) and Las Vegas. “We continue to see growing demand for additional low-cost flights through our partners at Flair Airlines out of YKF,” says Karen Redman, chair of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. “We are pleased to see new routes to high-demand locations like Las Vegas, as well as the economic and cultural benefits that our growing airport is bringing to this community.”

Jetstar Japan has commenced a new daily domestic route linking Tokyo Narita International Airport and Asahikawa Airport, marking the LCC’s first new network addition in more than four years. Asahikawa is also the airline’s second airport in Hokkaido, following New Chitose Airport. Jetstar will be targeting leisure traffic on the service given Asahikawa’s proximity to some of Japan’s foremost ski destinations.

Air India Express has inaugurated flights between Surat International Airport to Dubai International Airport. Frequencies will be four per week. OAG data shows that the carrier will be the sole operator of the route.