The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Aug. 7
Riyadh Air plans to launch service between Riyadh and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi on Sept. 2, operating 4X-weekly using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The new route will expand the Saudi carrier's growing Asian network and marks its entry into the Thailand market. Saudia also operates the route, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
South Korea and the Czech Republic have agreed to increase bilateral traffic rights from 7X-weekly to 10X-weekly, paving the way for expanded air services between the two countries. The Seoul Incheon-Prague route is currently served by Korean Air (4X-weekly) and Asiana Airlines (3X-weekly), but South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport says the additional rights could support new airline entrants and provide greater choice for passengers. The agreement follows similar capacity increases Hungary and Austria earlier this year.
Volotea will keep its Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, Italy, base open throughout the 2026-27 winter season, increasing winter seat capacity by 75% year on year. The carrier will retain winter services to Venice, Verona, Turin, Paris Orly and Barcelona, while restoring flights to Bologna and operating Madrid year-round for the first time. A seasonal Naples route will also be added over the Christmas period. Volotea says the expansion supports its strategy to reduce seasonality in Sardinia. Separately, the airline has launched four new routes from Verona Airport. New services to Malaga, Athens and Menorca are operating 2X-weekly, while flights to Karpathos began on Aug. 5 with a 1X-weekly service.
Aug. 6
Uganda Airlines plans to expand its African network with the launch of 4X-weekly flights between Entebbe and Accra from Oct. 27, followed by a daily service to Kigali from Nov. 18. “The launch of Accra and Kigali marks another key milestone in Uganda Airlines' growth strategy,” acting CEO Girma Wake says. “As Africa's connectivity continues to grow, these routes will strengthen commercial and tourism links while offering our guests greater convenience and more travel choices.”
Air France will expand its Caribbean regional network with the launch of a 2X-weekly nonstop service between Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, and Panama City from Dec. 11. The new route, operated by an Airbus A320, will also offer coordinated connections from Fort-de-France, Martinique, and Cayenne, French Guiana, providing onward access to destinations across Central and South America through partner Copa Airlines' hub in Panama City.
Gulf Air has opened bookings for a new nonstop service between Bahrain and Kuala Lumpur, with flights set to begin on Sept. 29. The Bahrain flag carrier plans to operate an enhanced schedule on Oct. 2-4 around the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, which has been moved to Sepang, Malaysia. “Following the race period, the service will continue as part of Gulf Air's permanent network, operating on a regular schedule to support connectivity between the two nations,” the airline says in a statement. The route is unserved at present.
Saudi LCC Flynas is continuing its network expansion with plans to launch a new route to India. The airline will commence a 3X-weekly service between Riyadh and Kochi from Sept. 1. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, the route is also served by Saudia, Air India Express and Akasa Air.
Transavia will expand its Brussels Airport (BRU) network with the launch of a 3X-weekly service to Porto from Dec. 14. The route will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The airline says the new service will provide additional travel options for passengers in Belgium and the south of the Netherlands to one of Portugal's most popular leisure destinations. Transavia has been operating from BRU since 2022. Earlier this year, the LCC opened a crew base at the airport.
Aug. 5
Emirates has expanded its partnership with South African Airways (SAA) into a reciprocal codeshare agreement, adding access to nine destinations across southern and central Africa. Emirates will place its code on SAA-operated flights, covering domestic services from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, as well as regional routes to Kinshasa, Gaborone, Windhoek, Lusaka, Harare and Victoria Falls. The expansion builds on the airlines’ nearly 30-year partnership, under which SAA already codeshares on Emirates’ services between Dubai and Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, while providing onward connectivity via Dubai to 68 destinations.
Copa Airlines plans to commence a 3X-weekly service between Panama City and Porlamar, Venezuela. Flights are scheduled to start on Nov. 26. The route is currently unserved, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
EasyJet has expanded its Liverpool John Lennon Airport base with the addition of a ninth Airbus A320, supporting the launch of new routes to Seville and Naples. “The arrival of an additional aircraft demonstrates our long-term commitment to Liverpool and the region,” says EasyJet's UK Country Manager Kevin Doyle. “We continue to see strong demand for both flights and package holidays, and we're pleased to be providing greater connectivity, supporting jobs and making travel even more accessible.”
Saudi Arabian LCC Flynas plans to expand its European network with the launch of a new nonstop service between Madinah and Brussels. Flights will operate 2X-weekly from Oct. 5. The carrier says the service forms part of its strategy to connect Saudi Arabia with more international destinations and supports the country’s Vision 2030 objectives to expand international connectivity and boost tourism.
Qatar Airways has resumed nonstop flights between Doha and Philadelphia, restoring the route with a daily service. The route, operated using an Airbus A350-900, becomes the airline’s 14th destination in North America.
Aug. 4
Wizz Air has opened a new base at Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport, Italy, stationing 2 Airbus A321neo aircraft at the airport. A third aircraft will be added from Sept. 6. The new base will enable the ULCC to launch or increase domestic services to Turin (daily, rising to 2X-daily from Sept. 14), Milan Malpensa (2X-daily), Bologna (11X-weekly), Venice (10X-weekly), Rome Fiumicino (3X-daily) and Pisa (10X-weekly from Oct. 25). International growth includes new routes to Tel Aviv (3X-weekly), Sharm El Sheikh (4X-weekly), Barcelona (4X-weekly from Sept. 6), Prague (4X-weekly), Marrakech (3X-weekly), Dortmund (3X-weekly) and Tirana (3X-weekly from Oct. 27), alongside existing services to Warsaw Modlin, Bratislava, Belgrade, Sofia and Skopje. With the expansion, Wizz Air will serve 18 routes in 13 countries, offer more than 1.3 million seats from Palermo in 2026 and become the airport’s second-largest airline with an estimated 16% market share.
Air India will expand its Canada network for the 2026-27 northern winter season by launching nonstop Mumbai-Toronto service. The airline will begin 3X-weekly seasonal flights between Mumbai and Toronto Pearson from Oct. 25 through March 26, 2027, becoming the only carrier to operate nonstop service on the route. Flights will be operated using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Air India will also deploy its new 787-9 on 7 of its 10X-weekly Delhi-Toronto flights this winter, with the remaining three frequencies transitioning to the new aircraft from January. Additionally, the carrier has expanded its partnership with Azerbaijan Airlines through a new codeshare agreement. Under the partnership, Air India will place its AI code on Azerbaijan Airlines’ daily services between New Delhi-Baku and Mumbai-Baku. The codeshare builds on the airlines’ existing interline partnership and also provides onward connectivity across both networks.
Saudi Arabia’s Flynas has launched its first nonstop service between Riyadh and Aleppo, Syria. The route operates 2X-weekly and increases the LCC’s Saudi Arabia-Syria operation to 26 flights per week. The airline now serves Damascus with 14X-weekly flights from Riyadh, 7X-weekly from Jeddah and 3X-weekly from Dammam, alongside the new Aleppo service.
Discover Airlines will expand its Nordic network in 2027 with the launch of new nonstop services from Frankfurt to Savonlinna and Kajaani. The Lufthansa Group leisure carrier will begin weekly summer flights to Savonlinna from June 19, 2027, operating every Saturday, before switching the aircraft to a weekly winter service to Kajaani from Dec. 17, 2027, with Friday departures. Discover says the additions will increase its Nordic network to eight destinations across Finland, Norway and Iceland, supported by about 20 weekly flights from Frankfurt and Munich.
Germany’s Condor has launched daily nonstop service between Frankfurt and Tel Aviv. The airline operates the route with Airbus A320-family aircraft offering business and economy class. Flights depart daily from Frankfurt in the afternoon, with return services leaving Tel Aviv the following morning.
Aug. 3
LOT Polish Airlines has opened sales for a new nonstop route between Warsaw and Hanoi, with the inaugural flight scheduled for March 31, 2027. The year-round service will operate 3X-weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays using Boeing 787 aircraft. Hanoi will become LOT's fifth long-haul destination in Asia, joining Tokyo, Seoul, New Delhi and Bangkok. “The launch of the Hanoi route reflects our ambition to further strengthen LOT Polish Airlines’ presence in Asia and continue developing our Warsaw hub as a gateway between Central and Eastern Europe and some of the world's most promising destinations,” LOT CCO Robert Ludera says.
IndiGo will suspend its Mumbai-London Heathrow service and switch its Mumbai-Amsterdam route to Airbus A321XLR operations as it ends its damp lease agreement for Boeing 787-9 aircraft with Norse Atlantic Airways. The move is effective from Oct. 25. IndiGo says the changes reflect higher operating costs driven by geopolitical tensions, including airspace restrictions, elevated fuel prices and currency pressures. The damp lease agreement with Norse will formally end on Oct. 31. The LLC plans to resume London Heathrow operations once its first A350-900s are delivered.
Wizz Air will launch service between Berlin Brandenburg and Milan Malpensa from Dec. 14, 2026. The route will operate daily using Airbus A321neo aircraft. Milan Malpensa becomes the ULCC’s latest addition from Berlin and complements its growing Italian network.
Canada’s Air Transat plans to make its Montreal-Dakar route a year-round service, extending the service through the 2026-27 northern winter season. The route, launched in June, will operate weekly between Oct. 30 and March 26, 2027, using Airbus A330 aircraft. The carrier is also expanding its leisure network to Cancun, launching a new weekly service from Windsor on Dec. 19 through April 25 and extending its seasonal Fredericton-Cancun route to operate weekly from Dec. 16 through April 29.
Starlux Airlines has inaugurated nonstop service between Taipei and Prague, marking the Taiwanese carrier's first route to Europe. The service initially operates 3X-weekly, increasing to 4X-weekly from October. Starlux will also upgrade the route from an Airbus A350-900 to the larger A350-1000 from Sept. 1.
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