Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C April 28, 2025)

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

May 2

American Airlines is adding five routes to the Caribbean and Central America from its Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) hub for the 2025-26 northern hemisphere winter season. From Nov. 2, the carrier will open daily service between ORD and San Jose, Costa Rica. From Nov. 6, American will launch up to 3X-weekly flights between ORD and Guatemala City, Guatemala. From Nov. 8, the Oneworld member will commence weekly Saturday service between ORD and St. Maarten. From Dec. 6, American will start weekly Saturday flights between ORD and Curacao. Also on that date, the airline will launch weekly Saturday service between O'Hare and St. Croix. In addition, four routes to the region operated 1X-weekly in the past winter from ORD will be bumped up to daily service for the 2025-26 winter, at least for part of the season. The increased service from ORD will be to Aruba; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Liberia, Costa Rica; and St. Thomas. American also revealed it will add service to two smaller domestic markets from ORD. From Aug. 6, the airline will open daily flights between ORD and Roanoke, Virginia. From Oct. 6, the carrier will kick off 2X-daily between O'Hare to Akron/Canton, Ohio.

Etihad Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand signed a memorandum of cooperation to promote travel to Thailand and connecting Thai passengers to global destinations via the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub. The accord comes ahead of Etihad launching service from Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport (AUH) to two Thai destinations—Krabi, in October, and Chiang Mai, in November. The carrier already operates flights from AUH to Thai cities Bangkok and Phuket. "Thailand is a very important market for Etihad [and] this is demonstrated by our continued expansion into the market,” Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves said.

Dubai International Airport’s (DXB) top destination country in the first quarter was India (3 million passengers), followed by Saudi Arabia (1.9 million), the UK (1.5 million), Pakistan (1 million), the U.S. (804,000) and Germany (738,000), according to the airport. In terms of cities, London was DXB’s top destination in the first quarter with 935,000 passengers, followed by Riyadh (759,000), Jeddah (627,000), Mumbai (615,000) and New Delhi (564,000). Overall, Emirates Airline’s base hub handled 23.4 million passengers in the first quarter, up 1.5% year-over-year. DXB said the 8.5 million passengers processed in January was the airport’s highest-ever monthly total.

German carrier TUI will launch flights to two new destinations from Cardiff Airport (CWL) in Wales in May 2026. The airline’s UK subsidiary will open service between CWL and Hurghada, Egypt, from May 2 and between CWL and Faro, Portugal, from May 21.

May 1

JetBlue Airways has launched its inaugural flights to Wilmington, North Carolina, and Norfolk, Virginia—marking the airline’s first-ever service to both destinations as part of its JetForward strategy to strengthen U.S. East Coast leisure travel. The new daily routes connect each city to Boston and will operate seasonally through Oct. 25 using Airbus A220 aircraft. JetBlue has also launched new service between New York John F. Kennedy and Detroit, Hartford, Pittsburgh and Providence, as well as between Fort Lauderdale and Guatemala City.

Etihad Airways and China Eastern Airlines have launched their joint venture. The partnership follows China Eastern’s inaugural flight from Shanghai to Abu Dhabi on April 28, with service starting at 4X-weekly and increasing to daily from Sept. 12. The joint venture—the first between a Middle Eastern and Chinese carrier—aims to boost connectivity across the UAE, China and beyond. The airlines also signed a reciprocal loyalty agreement, effective June 1, allowing members to earn and redeem miles across both networks.

Lufthansa has operated Airbus A380 aircraft to Denver for the first time, marking a milestone for both the airline and Denver International Airport, which had never previously welcomed the world’s largest passenger aircraft. Denver is the sixth destination served by Lufthansa’s Munich-based A380s this summer, alongside New York, Boston, Washington, Los Angeles and New Delhi.

Vietjet has launched a new daily flight between Hanoi and Shanghai, strengthening its expanding network in China. The new route follows the airline’s addition of four other services to Beijing and Guangzhou from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City this year. “With five new routes between Vietnam and China launched this year alone, we are steadily expanding our international presence and opening new horizons for global connectivity,” says Vietjet vice president, Nguyen Duc Thinh.

April 30

Volaris and Copa Airlines have signed a new codeshare agreement aimed at strengthening regional air connectivity across Mexico, Central America and South America. The partnership will allow Volaris customers to access new destinations through Copa’s network via Panama’s Tocumen International Airport. The codeshare marks Volaris’ first such partnership with a Central American airline and is subject to regulatory approval in Mexico and Panama. The first codeshare routes are expected in the second half of 2025. “Volaris is an airline recognized for its strong presence in Mexico and its accessible and efficient value proposition, representing an important step in our strategy to strengthen key alliances in the region,” Copa Airlines Executive Vice President Robert Carey says.

Emirates and Air Seychelles have launched a new codeshare partnership to enhance connectivity within Seychelles between Mahe and Praslin Island. Under the agreement, Emirates will place its code on Air Seychelles-operated flights, allowing customers to book through itineraries on a single ticket with baggage checked to the final destination. The deal complements Emirates’ existing 14X-weekly flights between Dubai and Mahe, catering largely to leisure travelers from Europe.

Lion Air has entered a partnership with Saudi LCC Flynas to operate Hajj pilgrimage flights. The agreement covers services from 23 international embarkation points across Asia, Africa and surrounding regions, accommodating 136,529 pilgrims from 13 countries. Operations will run from April 28 to July 10 using seven Airbus A330 aircraft.

Beginning May 3, Delta Air Lines will operate its Atlanta–Santiago de Chile route using a four-class 275-seat Airbus A350-900 aircraft, rather than a 339-seat A350. “Delta is proud to offer a more premium, high-quality product for those traveling between Atlanta and Santiago, Chile,” says Luciano Macagno, Delta managing director for Latin America, the Caribbean and South Florida. The airline is the sole operator of the route, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.

April 29

LCC flydubai is set to operate flights to 11 seasonal destinations this summer, including the launch of two new routes to Al Alamein in Egypt and Antalya in Turkey. The Dubai-based carrier will begin daily flights to Antalya on June 5 and to Al Alamein on June 21, using its Boeing 737-8 fleet. The expansion enhances flydubai’s network in Turkey to six destinations and makes it the first UAE airline to offer direct service to Al Alamein. Seasonal operations also include leisure destinations like Corfu, Tivat, Batumi and Santorini, with service running through September.

Saudi Arabia’s flyadeal will launch new routes this summer to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Alexandria, Egypt. Daily flights from Riyadh to Istanbul’s secondary airport begin May 29, complementing existing services to Istanbul Airport. Alexandria service from Jeddah starts June 2 with 4X-weekly flights, marking flyadeal’s fourth Egyptian destination. The airline now offers 69 weekly flights between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. “The twin route expansion is part of our incredible growth drive through the induction of new routes and adding frequencies that give our customers more options of flights and destinations in popular and new markets,” flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway says.

SunExpress has partnered with Bulgarian carrier Electra Airways to launch 32X-weekly summer-season flights connecting Germany with Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, responding to rising leisure demand. The new schedule, commencing mid-May 2025, links seven German cities—including Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf—with Burgas and Varna. While flights are marketed and distributed by SunExpress, operations will be carried out by Electra Airways under a wet-lease arrangement.

Kuwait Airways and Emirates have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish an interline agreement aimed at expanding travel options for passengers between Kuwait, Dubai and onward destinations across Emirates’ network. The partnership is expected to provide Kuwait Airways passengers with increased connectivity and schedule flexibility via Dubai. Emirates currently operates 29 weekly flights to Kuwait using its Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 fleet. Emirates says it is also exploring “a potential expansion” with Philippine Airlines, including the possibility of a reciprocal codesharing agreement.

Royal Air Maroc will launch a direct route between Casablanca and Catania, Sicily, starting June 28. Service will be 2X-weekly on Mondays and Saturdays with Boeing 737 aircraft. The new route increases Royal Air Maroc’s Italian network to seven cities, reinforcing connectivity for Moroccan and African diasporas in southern Italy, while supporting inbound tourism and international transit through its Casablanca hub.

April 28

United Airlines will extend its summer seasonal service between Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to Jan. 5, 2006. The Star Alliance carrier had planned to end the service for the season on Oct. 25. United will cut the service back from daily to 5X-weekly from Oct. 26 through Jan. 5. After a short break, the IAD-EDI route will then be restarted on Feb. 20, 2026. United will fly 5X-weekly on the route from Feb. 20 through March 29, and then bump the service back up to daily. The IAD-EDI route is flown with a Boeing 757-200 aircraft configured to carry 176 passengers, including 16 in business class.

IndiGo said it will have to temporarily suspend two routes from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) because of Pakistan’s airspace being closed to Indian airlines. The carrier is adjusting flightpaths on around 50 international routes owing to the airspace closure, forced to add flight time on many of its services. It said two routes from DEL cannot be operated under the circumstances. Flights between DEL and Almaty, Kazakhstan, will be suspended until at least May 7. Service between DEL and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, will also be suspended at least through May 7. Indigo said it had “limited rerouting options” to the two cities. “Unfortunately, Almaty and Tashkent are outside the operational range of IndiGo’s current fleet,” the airline said.

Delta Air Lines will open service between San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in California and Las Vegas from May 7. The airline is resuming the route after a five-year absence. Regional carrier SkyWest Airlines will operate the service daily under contract with Delta using an Embraer 175 aircraft. Delta will also operate seasonal service service between SJC and Detroit. That route will be flown daily with a Boeing 737 from July 7 through Nov. 30.

Dutch LCC Transavia said it will add four new routes for its northern hemisphere winter season offering to be operated from November 2025 through March 2026. The carrier will serve two new destinations from Amsterdam: Marsa Alam, Egypt, and Rabat, Morocco. The airline, a KLM subsidiary, will also operate flights between Brussels and Agadir, Morocco. Transavia will additionally fly between Rotterdam and Seville, Spain, for the winter season.