July 28

Air India is growing its Bangladesh network with a second route to Dhaka. Starting Sept. 15, the airline will fly four times a week between Delhi and Dhaka using Airbus A320s. The airline currently offers a 3X-weekly service between Kolkata and Dhaka. Air India’s flight AI237 will depart Delhi at 5:55 p.m., arriving in Dhaka at 8:45 p.m. The return flight leaves Dhaka at 9:45 p.m., and returns to India’s capital city at 11:50 p.m.

The U.S. Transportation Department has approved a codeshare application from Delta Air Lines and Latvian carrier airBaltic. The approval permits the carriers to codeshare on scheduled passenger, freighter and mail services between the U.S. and third countries, as well as on airBaltic services within the European Union and beyond to destinations in third countries.

Icelandic carrier Play has announced plans to serve Frankfurt during the northern winter 2023-24 season. Flights from Reykjavik Keflavik will start on Dec. 14, operating up to five times per week. Frankfurt will become the airline’s fourth destination in Germany alongside its year-round operations to Berlin and summer season services to Düsseldorf and Hamburg.

Qantas has welcomed its latest Boeing 787-9 that will enable the airline to expand its international network. The carrier says the aircraft arrival supports the increase of Sydney-Auckland-New York flights from three to four per week from late October. “This is the eighth new aircraft we’ve added to the Qantas group network this year as we’ve taken delivery of new planes, and we’re on track to add another four over the next six months,” says Qantas International and Freight CEO Cam Wallace.

July 27

Saudi LCC flynas is to launch a nonstop connection between Jeddah and Casablanca, Morocco. The service, which starts on Aug. 3, has been backed by Saudi Arabia’s Air Connectivity Program, set up to support the launch of new routes from the kingdom. Flights from Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport to Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca will operate three times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows Jeddah was served by Royal Air Maroc until June 2021 and by Saudia until September the same year. However, there are currently no nonstop scheduled flights between the cities.

Dominican Republic-based startup Arajet has revealed that Montreal will be its second destination in Canada. The airline, which began commercial operations in September 2022, plans to open a route from Santo Domingo Las Américas International Airport (SDQ) to Montréal-Trudeau International Airport on Nov. 7, flying four times per week. The planned launch comes fewer than three weeks since Arajet announced Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) would be its first destination in Canada, with service from SDQ to YYZ commencing on Oct. 24. The airline has also scheduled its inaugural flights to Chile on Oct. 29 as it continues to expand internationally. Santo Domingo-Montreal was last served by Air Transat during the winter 2019-20 season.

French business-class airline La Compagnie is launching flights to the Caribbean. The carrier has announced a partnership with travel agency E. Clarke Travel to offer weekly flights between New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport to St. Maarten Princess Juliana International Airport, starting Nov. 26. The service will operate through April 14, 2024. “These new flights to St. Maarten are an exciting development for La Compagnie as they mark our official entry into the Caribbean market,” La Compagnie CEO Christian Vernet says.

July 26

Canada’s Sunwing Airlines is adding four new routes from London International Airport (YXU), Ontario, as part of its northern winter 2023-24 schedule. Flights to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, will start on Dec. 12 through April 9, 2024; Cayo Coco, Cuba, on Dec. 13 through April 10; Varadero, Cuba, on Dec. 14 through April 4; and Cancun, Mexico, on Dec. 14 through April 11. “Cuba has always been a popular destination from YXU, and we are thrilled to see Cayo Coco added back as an option for the first time since the 2019-20 season,” says Scott McFadzean, president and CEO of London International Airport.

Luxair plans to commence a Luxembourg-Milan Linate service from the start of the 2023-24 northern winter season. Flights will operate twice a week from Oct. 29. The airline already serves Luxembourg-Milan Malpensa 14X-weekly, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows.

Binter Canarias has resumed flights between Gran Canaria and Fez, Morocco. Flights will be offered once a week. The airline says the route marks the deployment of its full summer schedule, with about 650,000 seats on more than 45 routes.

City of Derry Airport, in Northern Ireland, has confirmed that tour operator Travel Solutions plans to operate services to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Faro, Portugal, during summer 2024. Air Nostrum will offer a weekly Derry-Palma service from June 27, while BA CityFlyer will operate a weekly Derry-Faro service from May 20.

July 25

Volotea is resuming flights to the UK after a six-year absence with its first route to London Gatwick. Starting from Nov. 9, the Spanish airline will operate nonstop flights from Strasbourg, France. The service will be twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. Volotea previously served Southampton in the UK between May 2016 and October 2017. However, the carrier has been absent from the market ever since. Chief Strategy Officer Gabriel Schmilovich says the new route is expected to “serve as a stepping stone for potential future connections to Britain.” The London-Strasbourg market is currently unserved, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows. Ryanair last offered flights between the cities during summer 2019, flying from London Stansted.

Indian LCC IndiGo has announced new domestic connections between Indore-Rajkot, Indore-Surat, Rajkot-Udaipur and Udaipur-Surat, effective from Aug. 21. The four routes will each receive daily service. “Recognizing the immense potential and seeing an opportunity to connect these vibrant regions for trade and tourism, we have introduced these new flights, further enhancing domestic connectivity,” Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra says.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) plans to expand a codeshare arrangement with China Airlines to develop travel between the Philippines and Taiwan. PAL will codeshare on the 4X-weekly Kaohsiung, Taiwan-Manila service and the 5X-weekly Taoyuan, Taiwan-Cebu, Philippines service operated by China Airlines. Bud Britanico, PAL vice president for sales, says: “Cebu is a great destination for both business and leisure, while Kaohsiung is a dynamic port city and economic hub that also houses many overseas Filipino workers.”

Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines has launched flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. Service will operate four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

July 24

RwandAir is to launch daily direct services between London Heathrow and Rwanda's capital Kigali this winter, as the carrier continues to expand its European network and meet the extra demand for UK flights. The African airline, which has been operating from London since 2017, will increase capacity on its London Heathrow route from Oct. 29 with the addition of a new daily service. Flights between the destinations currently operate four times per week.

Azerbaijan Airlines will launch flights from capital city Baku to two Saudi Arabian cities from September. Starting Sept. 15, Baku-Riyadh will be operated twice per week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while Baku-Dammam will be served on Mondays and Fridays. The airline currently serves two other cities in Saudi Arabia, offering flights to Jeddah and Medina. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Airlines has signed a codeshare agreement with Air Astana covering Baku-Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Alaska Airlines’ regional carrier Horizon Air is to resume service between Portland, Oregon, and Redmond, Oregon, on a winter seasonal basis starting Nov. 29 through April 10, 2024. “This route has been the top ask from both communities and will be highly impactful to the business population that commutes between the two cities,” says Kevin Lemme, general manager of airline planning and network performance. Also, Alaska Airlines plans to restore up to 2X-daily service from Seattle to Walla Walla, Wenatchee and Yakima—all cities in the state of Washington—this fall.

Australia’s capital Canberra has become the newest to join Fiji Airways’ network. Service from Nadi, on Fiji's main island, will be 2X-weekly. The carrier now flies direct to 23 international destinations.

London Southend Airport has unveiled the latest addition to its list of summer 2024 destinations: the coastal city of Bourgas, Bulgaria. The leisure route will begin operating from June 17 on Mondays. The new charter service, operated by Balkan Holidays, will run for 13 weeks until Sept. 2, 2024.