The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Jan. 23
American Airlines will expand its domestic network in 2026 with five new routes from its Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) hubs. From ORD, American will launch year-round service to Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Columbia, South Carolina, with both routes starting May 21 and operating twice a day using Embraer 170 aircraft. The carrier will also add a daily long-haul domestic route from Chicago to Kahului, Hawaii, beginning Dec. 17 and running through March 27, 2027, operated by Boeing 787-8 aircraft. From LAX, American will introduce two new year-round daily services from April 7: to Cleveland and to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), both operated with 737 equipment. The new IAD route will complement the airline’s existing service to Washington Reagan National, giving passengers up to three daily options between Los Angeles and the Washington region.
Vietnamese startup Sun PhuQuoc Airways has opened reservations for its first international route between Phu Quoc and Taipei. Flights are scheduled to begin on March 29. The airline plans to operate the route 5X-weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. It also intends to further expand its Taiwan network with the addition of Phu Quoc-Kaohsiung services from the third quarter of 2026.
EasyJet has announced a trio of new routes for summer 2026, adding services from Newcastle to Rome Fiumicino and Lisbon, and from Manchester to Bari. From its new base at Newcastle, the LCC will launch 2X-weekly flights to Rome Fiumicino from March 30 and to Lisbon from June 22, with both routes operating on Mondays and Fridays. The airline will also introduce a new 2X-weekly route from Manchester to Bari, starting July 3, with flights on Mondays and Fridays. In addition, easyJet is extending its London Southend-Geneva route through to mid-October, with flights operating on Mondays and Fridays from Aug. 31 to Oct. 23, adding eight extra weeks of late-summer and early-autumn connectivity to Switzerland.
Frontier Airlines has launched a new nonstop service between Tucson International Airport (TUS) and Salt Lake City International Airport. The route operates twice a week, marking the ULCC’s fourth new route since returning to TUS last year. The new service is designed to appeal to leisure travelers heading to Utah’s ski destinations and visitors from Utah seeking winter sun in Tucson.
Jan. 22
Volotea will expand its Venice Marco Polo base for summer 2026, adding a second based aircraft and launching two new seasonal routes to Greece. The carrier will introduce weekly Venice-Corfu flights from June 27, operating on Saturdays, and weekly Venice-Rhodes service from July 2, operating on Thursdays. With the additions, Volotea will serve eight Greek destinations from Venice and increase its total route count at the airport to 23. The airline will also boost capacity on existing routes, including a 60% increase on Venice-Olbia and a doubling of Venice-Karpathos to 2X-weekly flights. Overall, Volotea plans to operate more than 3,900 flights and offer 695,000 seats from Venice in 2026, up 12% year on year.
TAROM has expanded an interline partnership with ITA Airways. Under the enhanced cooperation, TAROM tickets now include itineraries routed via Bucharest Otopeni and Rome Fiumicino, with onward connections operated by ITA Airways. The expanded offer covers numerous domestic Italian destinations, including Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples, Palermo and Catania, as well as international points such as Barcelona, Malta, Geneva, Zurich and Tirana.
Japan Airlines will increase frequencies on several domestic routes during the 2026 summer peak to meet seasonal demand. The carrier will raise Osaka Itami-Okinawa from two to 3X-daily flights and Osaka Itami-Hakodate from daily to 2X-daily between July 17 and Aug. 28. In Hokkaido, JAL will increase Sapporo Okadama-Rishiri from daily to 11X-weekly flights from July 1 to Aug. 31. In southern Japan, the Okinawa-Yoron route will be expanded from daily to 2X-daily over the same period.
Transavia will introduce a temporary summer service between Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Oujda, Morocco, responding to seasonal demand. The route will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, from July 2 through Aug. 31. The addition boosts the LCC’s Moroccan network from Rotterdam, which already includes Al Hoceima, Fez, Nador and Tangier.
Jetstar will up-gauge its Canberra-Brisbane route with Airbus A321LR aircraft from April to October, adding more than 19,000 seats. The A321LRs will replace A320s on the route, offering up to 52 additional seats per flight. It marks the first time Jetstar has operated the A321LR from Canberra. The LCC operates up to 18X-weekly return flights from Canberra across routes to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne, with total annual capacity exceeding 350,000 seats.
Frontier Airlines has launched new nonstop service between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Orlando International Airport. Flights will be 3X-weekly. The move increases the LCC’s network from EWR to five destinations.
Jan. 21
TAP Air Portugal will launch a new route between Lisbon and Athens from July 1. The service will operate 5X-weekly, with flights departing Lisbon on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and return services from Athens on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. During the summer season, flights will be operated with Airbus A320neo aircraft, switching to Embraer 190s in the winter season.
Vietjet plans to open a new nonstop route between Hanoi and Shizuoka from April 28. The 3X-weekly service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, providing connectivity between Vietnam’s capital and central Japan. The route also marks the first time Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport will have scheduled service to Southeast Asia. With the addition, Vietjet will operate 11 routes between Vietnam and Japan.
Eurowings will expand its summer schedule from Salzburg with new leisure routes to Cagliari and Ibiza, alongside a charter service to Genoa in cooperation with tour operator Eurotours. The LCC will operate weekly flights from Salzburg to Cagliari, Sardinia, on Saturdays, complementing its existing Olbia services. Eurowings will also launch weekly flights from Salzburg to Ibiza every Friday from mid-May to the end of October, targeting peak summer leisure demand.
All Nippon Airways has outlined a series of international and domestic network changes. Internationally, ANA will increase Tokyo Haneda–Milan from 3X-weekly to daily from October 2026. Tokyo Narita–Mumbai will rise from 5X-weekly to daily from March 29, before being reduced to 3X-weekly flights between July 18 and Aug. 31. The airline will also operate daily service on Tokyo Narita–Vancouver from June 5 through Aug. 31. Domestically, ANA will add frequencies on several routes, including Osaka Itami–Okinawa, Nagoya–Sapporo Chitose and Sapporo–Komatsu, while suspending Shizuoka–Okinawa and Shizuoka–Sapporo Chitose from Oct. 1.
Wizz Air will expand its Central and Eastern Europe network with new routes from Poland and Slovakia. From Poland, the airline will launch three new services: Warsaw Modlin–Varna and Warsaw Modlin–Rimini, and Krakow–Rhodes. Varna and Rhodes will operate 3X-weekly, while Rimini will be served 4X-weekly. The routes will begin between May and June and will be operated with Airbus A321neo aircraft. Separately, the ULCC will add a new 3X-weekly service between Bratislava and Nice from March 31.
Jan. 20
Emirates will add four flights per week between Dubai and Manila from April 2, expanding capacity on one of its key Southeast Asia routes. The additional services will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. With the expansion, Emirates will increase its Manila schedule from 28 to 32X-weekly flights. The airline says the frequencies will also boost cargo capacity, with each 777-300ER able to carry up to 20 metric tons in the bellyhold.
Hainan Airlines is scheduled to open a new nonstop service between Shenzhen and Madrid Barajas from April 4, becoming the sole operator on the route. The weekly flight will be operated with Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The move comes after China Southern Airlines began its first route to Spain in December, linking Guangzhou and Madrid.
South African Airways (SAA) and CemAir have signed a domestic codeshare partnership aimed at expanding connectivity across South Africa. Under the partnership, both airlines will place their codes on each other’s flights, enabling customers to book single-ticket itineraries with through-checked baggage and integrated connections across both networks. The agreement is SAA’s first codeshare focused exclusively on domestic routes and is designed to enhance accessibility and convenience for travelers. “This partnership is a game-changer for domestic travel in South Africa,” a statement from SAA says.
QantasLink will introduce Airbus A220 aircraft on its Adelaide–Brisbane route from March 3, marking the first time the type has operated in South Australia. The A220s will progressively replace Embraer 190s. The up-gauge is expected to add up to 100,000 seats annually to QantasLink’s Adelaide network. Qantas has received 11 A220s so far, with four more due by mid-year.
Jan. 19
Etihad Airways and Tunisair have launched a new codeshare partnership. Under the agreement, travelers can book flights between Abu Dhabi and Tunis under either airline’s code on Etihad-operated services. The arrangement covers Etihad’s 3X-weekly Abu Dhabi–Tunis flights, which launched in November 2025 and are operated with Airbus A321LR aircraft. “Partnering with Tunisair brings Abu Dhabi closer to travelers across North Africa,” Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves says.
AirAsia will introduce a new nonstop route between Kuala Lumpur and Batam, Indonesia, from March 1. The daily service expands the LCC’s Indonesia network to 19 routes and targets growing leisure and VFR demand. AirAsia says it carried about 3 million passengers between Malaysia and Indonesia in 2025.
Solomon Airlines will commence a nonstop route between Christchurch and Port Vila from July 1, becoming the first scheduled commercial air link between New Zealand’s South Island and Vanuatu. The service will operate 2X-weekly, departing Christchurch on Thursdays and Sundays and returning from Port Vila on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Flights will be operated with Airbus A320-200 aircraft, with a block time of about 4 hr.
United Airlines will launch a new seasonal nonstop route between Bangor International Airport and Denver International Airport, marking the westernmost nonstop passenger service in Bangor’s history. The service will operate on Saturdays from June 27 through Sept. 5, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. In conjunction with the launch, United will up-gauge its Bangor–Chicago O’Hare flights to a 737 on the same operating days to meet strong summer demand.
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