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

Nov. 10

Alaska Airlines is adding a new route connecting Portland, Oregon, and Nashville, Tennessee, becoming the carrier’s 53rd nonstop destination from Portland International Airport next year. Flights will operate daily using Boeing 737s, starting on March 14, 2024. “We’re always focused on better connecting the Pacific Northwest with new nonstops in our network,” says Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning for Alaska Airlines. “Our new flight will link a pair of exciting regions that both have wide-ranging, festive entertainment and sports scenes as well as growing business centers.” 

South Korea’s Air Premia is to suspend its 4X-weekly Seoul Incheon-Frankfurt service. The airline confirmed that the route, which launched in June, will be paused from Dec. 30. The service is one of only two European routes the carrier offers at present, alongside flights to Barcelona, Spain.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has announced plans for its latest route to Kazakhstan. Flights from Abu Dhabi to Turkistan will commence on Feb. 1, 2024, operating three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. “We are delighted to expand our network in Kazakhstan by launching Turkistan, our third Kazakh destination, providing exciting and affordable travel opportunities for everyone looking to explore the ancient Silk Road,” Wizz Air Abu Dhabi Managing Director Johan Eidhagen says.

Air Serbia has inaugurated flights between Belgrade and Porto, Portugal. Flights will be twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, operating year-round. The move marks the airline’s first-ever flights to the city. “We are certain this will be one of our most popular destinations in Europe,” says Air Serbia General Manager for Commercial and Strategy Boško Rupić.

Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aéreas is adding additional frequencies between Caxias do Sul and Florianópolis to meet domestic demand over the Christmas period. The new flights will operate on Saturdays from Dec. 16 through Jan. 20, 2024.

Nov. 9

Turkish LCC Pegasus Airlines is to start flying between Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) and Birmingham Airport (BHX), England. The SAW-BHX service will start on Dec. 21, operating three times per week. “I have no doubt these new services to SAW will be very popular with sunseekers, pilgrims, business travelers and people going to see family both in Türkiye and across the vast array of destinations offered by Pegasus’s strong onwards network covering Asia, Europe and Africa,” BHX CEO Nick Barton says.

Singapore Airlines will increase flights from Adelaide to 10 per week, commencing in October 2024. This growth from daily to 10 flights per week will create an additional 105,000 seats per annum. The announcement follows the airline flying Boeing 787-10 aircraft to the Australian city from last month, boosting capacity by 34 seats per flight, or 11%.

Air Canada plans to launch a weekly service between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Fort de France, Martinique, from Dec. 16. Flights will be aboard Airbus A220 aircraft. Alexandre Lefevre, Vice President for Network Planning in North America and Scheduling at Air Canada, says: “Air Canada is very pleased to be the leading carrier between Canada and the French Caribbean, and we are exceptionally delighted to add new flights from Toronto to Martinique this winter. This new service complements our year-round flights from Montreal.”

Nov. 8

Singapore Airlines has announced it will be offering a fifth daily service from Singapore Changi to Sydney Airport. Starting on Oct. 27, 2024, the airline will add a new 6.45 a.m. daily flight to its schedule. This will be available for northern 2024-25 winter season, subject to regulatory approvals. Additionally, subsidiary Scoot plans to increase Sydney frequencies to 12X-weekly in December 2023. “Not only will this extra flight from Singapore Airlines offer Australians heading overseas more choice, but it will also help boost the number of visitors, especially from Asia and Europe,” Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert says.

Canada’s Lynx Air has launched its inaugural service from Calgary International Airport (YYC) to Orlando International Airport. Service will be twice a week. “In less than a year, Lynx has added four U.S. destinations to its offering out of YYC, giving travelers more opportunities to explore some of the most popular cities in the U.S.,” Calgary Airport Authority Chief Operating Officer Chris Miles says.

Dominican Republic-based Arajet has launched its second Canadian route, flying from Santo Domingo to Montréal-Trudeau International Airport. Frequencies will be 4X-weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Montreal becomes the ULCC’s second destination in Canada alongside Toronto Pearson International Airport.

UK leisure carrier Jet2.com has signed a partnership agreement with the Moroccan National Tourism Office (MNTO) to invest into the development of Moroccan tourism for the next five years. The move comes after the airline last month announced that it will operate year-round to two destinations in Morocco, Agadir and Marrakech, with flights starting in winter 2024-25. “We are investing directly in the development of tourism in Morocco through this agreement, and we are fully committed to working with our partners at the MNTO to ensure that holidaymakers and travel professionals know all about the huge variety of things to do in this amazing country,” Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy says.Nov. 7

Nov. 7

AirAsia X is resuming its Kuala Lumpur-Gold Coast-Auckland service from Feb. 3, replacing the Sydney-Auckland leg of its daily Kuala Lumpur-Sydney-Auckland route. AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail says the move follows a review of its network. “These decisions are made with thorough review and careful consideration of all relevant information,” he adds. “Our network will continue to evolve based on a number of factors but primarily based on consumer demand.” Ismail explained that Sydney-Auckland could resume “if demand returns.”

Germany’s Condor Airlines has entered a codeshare partnership with Alaska Airlines, allowing passengers to travel on each carrier's network with a single ticket and baggage checked through to their final destination. Condor has recently begun marketing and selling more than 70 Alaska Airlines routes across the U.S. Alaska Airlines began marketing and selling Condor services from its 12 U.S. gateway cities to Frankfurt in summer 2023. “We continue to bolster our international partner portfolio, giving our guests convenient access to more of the globe. Condor provides a key link with its nonstops from Alaska’s gateway cities to Europe and beyond,” says Nat Pieper, senior vice president of fleet, finance and alliances at Alaska Airlines.

Ethiopian Airlines has confirmed plans to resume Bahrain service from Dec. 2. Flights from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will operate three times per week using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows the route has been suspended since May.

Italy’s ITA Airways plans to introduce a third daily flight between Milan Linate Airport and London City Airport (LCY) in response to “significant demand.” The added frequency will start in January 2024. “Milan was previously one of our top-five performing routes, and we have recently seen huge pent-up demand from our passengers to travel to-and-from, so we’re delighted to be offering greater access to the city,” LCY Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Hodges says.

Icelandair is expanding its seasonal service connecting Iceland's capital Reykjavik with North Carolina's Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) to year-round from May 20, 2024. Flights will operate four times per week. Icelandair CEO Bogi Nils Bogason says: “When Icelandair first launched service from RDU last year, we had high hopes for this exciting new gateway. However, North Carolinians have far exceeded our expectations during these past two years of service.”

Nov. 6

Icelandair has unveiled two new destinations to its summer 2024 network. The airline will for the first time offer flights from Reykjavik Keflavik to Pittsburgh International Airport, becoming the carrier’s 12^th point in the U.S. With four flights a week, the schedule will be offered from mid-May until the end of October. Additionally, Icelandair will return to Halifax Stanfield International, Canada, for the first time since October 2018. Flights will be 3X-weekly from May 31 until mid-October. “The North American market has been very strong, with Americans now the largest single group of tourists to Iceland,” Icelandair CEO Bogi Nils Bogason says.
 

EasyJet has launched the first flights on two new year-round routes from Southampton Airport, England. Service to Belfast International will operate three times per week on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, while flights to Glasgow will be twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays. “Following the recent completion of the runway extension, we are working hard and speaking regularly with our airline partners to deliver the routes and services the people of Southampton and the wider region deserve,” Southampton Airport Operations Director Mark Beveridge says.
 

Vietnam’s VietJet has inaugurated flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Tiruchirappalli, a city in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state. The route will be operated 3X-weekly. Tiruchirappalli becomes the LCC’s fifth destination in India alongside Ahmedabad, Kochi, New Delhi, and Mumbai. Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that the route will be the sole connection from Tiruchirappalli to Vietnam.
 

Volaris has opened a route to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Flights will operate from San Salvador via Guatemala City, becoming the first non-Mexican destination served by the ULCC from the U.S. city. “We know that Chicago alone is home to more than 11,000 Salvadorans and 25,000 Guatemalans, for whom, from now on, it will be easier to travel to their country of origin,” Volaris Director of Corporate Development Ronny Rodriguez says. “With this new route, Volaris is getting closer to the places where these families live in Illinois, allowing them to travel at a lower cost and be reunited regularly with their friends and family.”
 

U.S. carrier JetBlue has commenced service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and St. Kitts and Nevis’s Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw International Airport. Flights will be offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, operating year-round.