Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C February 16, 2026)

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

Feb. 20

Air Canada has expanded its presence in Turkey through a new interline partnership with Pegasus Airlines. Under the agreement, Air Canada customers can book travel on nine Pegasus-operated routes via major European gateways, including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Munich, Geneva, Vienna, Zurich and Athens, with onward connections to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport and, from Frankfurt, to Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport. The partnership enables single-ticket itineraries and through-checked baggage.

Jet2.com has announced an expanded summer 2027 program from London Gatwick Airport, increasing capacity by 27% in its second year at the airport. The UK leisure carrier will launch a new weekly service to Lesvos, Greece, from May 2 through Oct. 10, 2027. Capacity has also been increased to Spanish markets including Ibiza, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife. Jet2 is opening a base at LGW later this month, stationing six aircraft at the airport.

Peru and Spain have signed a new air services agreement eliminating capacity restrictions between the two countries, allowing designated airlines to operate under a fully liberalized regime. The accord removes limits on weekly passenger and cargo frequencies under third and fourth freedom rights and grants full fleet flexibility. Peru’s Transport and Communications Ministry says the agreement reflects sustained traffic growth and rising demand between Peru and Europe and provides airlines with the regulatory certainty to launch new routes and add frequencies. The move comes as Level prepares to launch Barcelona-Lima service in June.

Avianca has opened sales for a new daily nonstop service between Medellín and Pasto, further expanding its domestic network in Colombia. The new route will operate from March 29 using Airbus A320-family aircraft. The carrier says the service is designed to support tourism, business and cultural exchange between the northwest and south of the country.

Canada’s Air Transat has launched several new seasonal sun routes as part of its winter program, expanding nonstop service from Quebec City, Windsor, Charlottetown and Fredericton. The carrier began weekly service between Quebec City and Pointe-a-Pitre on Feb. 18, operating Wednesdays through April 29 with Airbus A321LR aircraft. Additional seasonal routes include Windsor-Punta Cana, operating Fridays through April 10, and Charlottetown–Cancun and Fredericton–Cancun, both operating Wednesdays through April 22.

GOL Linhas Aéreas will expand its footprint in northern Brazil with new nonstop routes linking Manaus to Fortaleza and Boa Vista, while boosting capacity from Boa Vista to Brasilia. Service between Manaus and Boa Vista begins April 12, operating Fridays and Sundays outbound, with return flights on Mondays and Saturdays. Manaus-Fortaleza, currently seasonal, becomes a regular weekend service from May 16 with one weekly roundtrip. GOL will also increase Boa Vista-Brasilia frequencies by 42%, from four to 7X-weekly roundtrips, with peaks of up to 13X-weekly flights from April.

Feb. 19

JetBlue is resuming nonstop service between Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) beginning May 21. Flights will be offered 2X-daily. “H​ouston is an important destination for many travelers, and we’re pleased to reintroduce nonstop service between JFK and Houston, giving our customers a convenient connection between these two major metropolitan areas,” says Dave Jehn, vice president, network planning and airline partnerships at JetBlue. JetBlue served IAH-JFK until June 2025 using Airbus A220 aircraft, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows. Delta Air Lines also operates the route.

Iberia will offer a record 1.3 million seats between Europe and the U.S. and Canada in summer 2026, a 19% year-on-year increase, supported by 166 weekly frequencies, up 15%. As previously reported, the carrier will launch 5X-weekly service between Madrid and Toronto Pearson from June 13. Capacity to New York will rise significantly, with an additional daily frequency to Newark complementing 2X-daily New York John F. Kennedy flights. Total Madrid–New York capacity will reach 352,055 seats, up 43%. Orlando’s 3X-weekly service will be extended into summer, Boston and Miami will see 2X-daily service, while Dallas, Chicago, Washington and Los Angeles will operate daily. San Francisco will also be served three times per week.

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plans to launch scheduled service between Baku and Shymkent, Kazakhstan. Flights will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, from June 16 to June 27. From June 30 onward, the route increases to 3X-weekly frequencies, departing Baku on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with return flights from Shymkent on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Shymkent becomes AZAL’s fourth destination in Kazakhstan, alongside Almaty, Astana and Aktau.

Aer Lingus intends to add a third weekly frequency on its Shannon–Paris Charles de Gaulle service for summer 2026, expanding capacity and connectivity from Ireland’s west coast. From May 5 through Oct. 20, the carrier will operate a new Tuesday flight departing Shannon, complementing existing Thursday and Sunday services. The added rotation is designed to improve schedule flexibility for point-to-point passengers and strengthen onward connectivity through the Paris hub.

Ethiopian Airlines plans to inaugurate three new domestic airports, launching passenger services to Negele Borena, Gore Metu and Debre Markos by mid-April 2026. The carrier will operate 3X-weekly flights to each destination, increasing its domestic network to 26 airports and strengthening connectivity to regional communities. The expansion follows the 2025 inauguration of Yabello as its 23^rd domestic point. “The inauguration of these three new airports, along with the commencement of passenger services, represents a major milestone for Ethiopian Airlines and for the nation as a whole,” Group CEO Mesfin Tasew says.

Wizz Air has confirmed two more new summer 2026 routes from Poland. Flights between Warsaw Radom and Burgas, Bulgaria, will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, from July 21. Operations between Katowice and Comiso, Italy, will begin July 8, operating on Wednesdays and Sundays. The carrier says the Burgas route strengthens options from the Mazovia region to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, while Comiso enhances access from southern Poland to Sicily and the Val di Noto. Wizz Air will operate its largest-ever summer schedule from Katowice in 2026, basing eight aircraft at the airport. The airline currently serves 234 routes from Poland to 32 countries and carried more than 14.5 million passengers in the country in 2025.

Feb. 18

United Airlines has asked the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) to extend a waiver covering 42 weekly U.S.-mainland China frequencies that it does not plan to operate during the forthcoming summer 2026 season. The carrier has requested a continuation of the temporary relief from dormancy and start-up conditions, which were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently extended multiple times. For summer 2026, United plans to operate 24 flights per week to mainland China, including 7X-weekly San Francisco-Shanghai Pudong, 7X-weekly San Francisco-Beijing Capital, 7X-weekly Los Angeles-Shanghai and 3X-weekly Los Angeles-Beijing. However, the carrier will not operate an additional 42 frequencies across routes including San Francisco-Shanghai (second daily), Chicago-Shanghai, Chicago-Beijing, Newark-Shanghai, Newark-Beijing and Washington Dulles-Beijing. United says current market conditions continue to justify the waiver extension, adding that U.S.-China capacity has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels and that the DOT has managed frequency reinstatement to maintain parity between U.S. and Chinese carriers.

Ryanair will base an 11^th aircraft at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport for summer 2026, expanding capacity to a record 6.5 million annual seats. The additional aircraft will support 67 routes, including five new services to Dubrovnik, Croatia; Krakow, Poland; Lamezia, Italy; Marrakesh, Morocco; and Newcastle, England. The ULCC’s Budapest summer 2026 schedule includes 300,000 additional seats, a 5% increase year on year. Ryanair attributed the expansion to Hungary’s decision to abolish aviation taxes, but warned that rising airport charges could curb further growth.

KM Malta Airlines plans to add a new 2X-weekly service to Tel Aviv starting May 27, operating on Wednesdays and Sundays, strengthening links between Malta and Israel. The carrier’s summer 2026 schedule also includes a new Tuesday morning frequency to Brussels and an extra Thursday afternoon service to London Gatwick, bringing total weekly London frequencies to 23.

Wizz Air has announced the launch of two new seasonal routes to Italy from Skopje International Airport, Macedonia. From July 15, the Hungarian airline will begin service to Palermo, operating three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. From July 18, Wizz will also commence flights to Alghero, operating 2X-weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Both routes are scheduled to run on a seasonal basis through mid-September.

Oman Air is expanding its Russia network with the launch of a new service between Muscat and Sochi, starting July 2. The weekly year-round route will be served using Boeing 737-8 aircraft. It complements Oman Air’s existing daily operations between Muscat and Moscow Sheremetyevo. The airline also launched charter services between Salalah and Moscow in December.

Feb. 17

Oman’s SalamAir will launch a 2X-weekly service between Muscat and Mogadishu, Somalia, on Sept. 3. The new route to Aden Adde International Airport expands the LCC’s African footprint and marks Somalia as the third East African country in its network, alongside Kenya and Sudan. The airline says the service is part of its strategy to develop underserved markets with affordable, point-to-point connectivity. “Somalia has seen significant economic growth and development in recent years; our direct flights will further stimulate the economy and help create new travel and trade opportunities,” CEO Adrian Hamilton-Manns says.

UK carrier Skybus will cease operating the Public Service Obligation (PSO) route between Cornwall Airport Newquay and London Gatwick on May 31 after Cornwall Council voted to withdraw its financial support for the service. The airline, which stepped in to operate the route in November following the collapse of Eastern Airways, says it will contact all passengers holding bookings beyond May 31 to arrange full refunds. Skybus adds it was the only airline to submit proposals to continue the PSO from June 1 and warns the decision could have significant implications for Cornwall’s air connectivity and the airport’s financial position.

Wizz Air has confirmed it will commence a new route between Palermo, Italy, and Skopje, Macedonia, on July 15, operating three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The addition brings the ULCC’s Palermo network to 11 routes across eight countries, with nearly 1 million seats available. The expansion follows the reopening of the airline’s base at Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport and includes seven new routes: four domestic services to Bologna, Milan, Turin and Venice, and three international links to Sharm el Sheikh, Tel Aviv and Skopje. All routes are operated with Airbus A321neo aircraft.

Flydubai will launch a double-daily route between Dubai and Bangkok from Sept. 15, expanding its Thailand operations to 28X-weekly flights. The new service connects Dubai International Airport and Don Mueang International Airport, marking the LCC’s second destination in Thailand alongside Krabi. Bangkok becomes the carrier’s fourth point in Southeast Asia, in addition to Krabi, Langkawi and Penang. “Thailand remains a very popular destination for both leisure and business travel,” says Hamad Obaidalla, CCO at flydubai.

Jetstar Japan has resumed service between Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Hong Kong for the first time in nearly six years. The service operates daily using Airbus A320 aircraft. With the resumption of the Hong Kong route, the LCC now serves five international destinations from NRT.

Feb. 16

Delta Air Lines has unveiled its largest seasonal Hawaii network to date for winter 2026-27, adding new and returning nonstop routes while boosting capacity on several island services. The airline will launch nonstop service between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Maui’s Kahului Airport starting Dec. 19, operating daily over peak holiday and spring break periods and 5X-weekly through the core winter season using Airbus A330-300 aircraft. Delta is also reinstating Boston Logan International Airport to Honolulu (HNL) service beginning the same date, with daily flights over the late-December peak before shifting to 4X-weekly frequencies for the wider winter. Additionally, the carrier plans further enhancements across its Hawaii network, including expanded frequencies to HNL from Atlanta, Detroit and New York JFK, and an earlier start to Salt Lake City-Kona service.  

Emirates has signed an interline agreement with Loong Air, expanding its footprint in China and providing onward access beyond its five mainland gateways. Under the terms of the agreement, Emirates passengers can connect to 22 domestic points operated by Loong Air via Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The destinations span eastern, northeastern, southern, central and southwestern China, including Zhengzhou, Changchun, Haikou, Xiangyang and Dazhou. Emirates currently operates 49X-weekly flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou using Airbus A380, A350 and Boeing 777 aircraft. The new partnership complements existing ties with Air China, China Southern and Sichuan Airlines. 

Turkish Airlines plans to resume scheduled service between Istanbul and Caracas, Venezuela, from March 3, operating three times per week with Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The reinstatement follows a suspension of the route in November amid broader airspace and safety challenges in the region. Separately, Avianca has reactivated its direct Bogota-Caracas service, with daily flights after a “comprehensive assessment of operational and aviation safety conditions conducted in coordination with the appropriate authorities.” 

Frontier Airlines has launched two new U.S. routes, adding Miami-Chicago O’Hare and Orlando-Pensacola services. The Denver-based ULCC began 3X-weekly flights between Miami and Chicago on Feb. 13, operating 3X-weekly. On the same date, the carrier launched 2X-weekly service between Orlando and Pensacola. 

American Airlines has added special nonstop flights to Louisville International Airport (SDF), Kentucky, around the marquee racing weekend to meet peak travel demand, significantly increasing service into the city. The airline will operate additional flights to 13 destinations between April 30 and May 3, complementing its existing network of seven connections at SDF. On peak dates American plans to more than double typical operations at Louisville, with 41 arrivals on April 30 and 46 departures on May 3. The airline’s hubs—including Charlotte, Dallas Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Reagan Washington National—will see a mix of extra flights and larger aircraft deployed to SDF to support the schedule.