The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
June 5
Air Transat has signed an interline agreement with Iberia, expanding its reach across Spain through new onward connections via Madrid. Under the partnership, Air Transat passengers will be able to connect through Madrid to more than 20 destinations across Spain, including Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Alicante and the Canary Islands. Air Transat Chief Revenue Officer Sebastian Ponce says the partnership strengthens the carrier's position in one of its most important international markets by providing customers with seamless access to additional destinations across Spain. Air Transat's Spanish network already comprises five destinations: Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Valencia and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Latvia’s AirBaltic has resumed service between Riga and Aberdeen International Airport, restoring the route for the summer 2026 season after last serving the Scottish city in 2024. The route operates twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays through September using Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Mantas Vrubliauskas, Vice President of Network Management at AirBaltic, says the route will support both business and leisure travel while strengthening economic, tourism and cultural links between Scotland and Latvia.
UK leisure carrier Jet2.com has added Tivat, Montenegro, to its summer 2027 network from Leeds Bradford Airport. The new route will operate weekly on Mondays from May 10 through Sept. 27, 2027. Tivat becomes the carrier's fifth new summer 2027 destination from the airport, joining Hurghada, Preveza, Santorini and Sharm El Sheikh. Jet2 says the addition follows strong demand for new Mediterranean leisure destinations.
Uzbekistan Airways has launched the first nonstop service between Samarkand and Antalya, Turkey. Flights are in partnership with tour operator Asialuxe Travel. The route will be served weekly on Thursdays through Sept. 10.
Qatar Airways is increasing capacity between Doha and Dubai. The carrier added a third daily frequency on June 5, will introduce a fourth on June 15 and plans to restore a fifth daily service later in the summer. Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines will resume Manila-Doha flights from July 1. The route will operate 4X-weekly, restoring a link between the Philippines and Qatar after disruptions caused by the Middle East crisis. Air Astana is also restoring Dubai services, with flights from Almaty resuming from June 20 and services from Astana restarting on July 10. Frequencies will be increased in stages through the summer, eventually returning to daily operations from both cities by August.
Air Serbia and WestJet have signed a special prorate agreement following the recent launch of Air Serbia's Toronto service. The partnership will allow passengers to book onward connections beyond Toronto onto WestJet's domestic network, including destinations such as Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. Air Serbia launched a 2X-weekly route between Belgrade and Toronto Pearson in May, restoring nonstop links between Serbia and Canada after an absence of more than three decades.
June 4
TAAG Angola Airlines has confirmed plans to launch a new route between Luanda and Guangzhou, with operations scheduled to begin on June 23. The service will connect António Agostinho Neto International Airport and Guangzhou once a week on Tuesdays using Boeing 787 aircraft. The airline says the service is designed to support growing demand for travel, trade and cargo traffic between Angola and China, which maintain longstanding economic and commercial ties. TAAG adds the route supports its broader objective of developing Luanda as a regional hub.
Mexican ULCC Volaris has expanded its network from San Luis Potosí International Airport with the launch of five new routes to Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta and Chicago. The additions expand connectivity from the airport, complementing the airline’s existing services to destinations including Mexico City, Cancun, Tijuana, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Airport operator OMA says the new routes support the airport’s continued growth, with passenger traffic increasing 14% year on year so far in 2026. Separately, Volaris has inaugurated nonstop service between Denver International Airport and Queretaro, becoming the first carrier to offer nonstop flights on the route. The service operates twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays.
South Africa’s Airlink has launched year-round service between Johannesburg and Zanzibar. The route will operate two times per week, increasing to three weekly flights between Dec. 15 and Jan. 13, 2027, to meet peak holiday demand. The service complements Airlink’s planned nonstop route between Cape Town and Zanzibar, scheduled to begin on Oct. 3. The carrier is deploying its new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft on the route, making Zanzibar the first international destination served by the airline using the aircraft type.
Latvian carrier airBaltic will resume flights between Riga and Tel Aviv from July 1, restoring service to the Israeli market as conditions in the Middle East continue to stabilize. The route will operate 3X-weekly. AirBaltic says the decision follows improving regional conditions and growing passenger demand. The carrier adds that the resumption will be conducted in line with guidance from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and insurer requirements.
Iberia has opened new services from Madrid to Monterrey, Mexico, and Bucharest, Romania. Flights to Monterrey will be 3X-weekly on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The route gives Iberia a second destination in Mexico alongside Mexico City and will offer more than 53,000 seats during 2026. Combined capacity to the Mexican market will exceed 820,000 seats, up 8% year on year. Separately, Iberia has launched seasonal flights between Madrid and Bucharest. The route will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays through Sept. 30, offering more than 12,700 seats during the summer season.
Saudi LCC flynas will relocate its Jeddah-Amman service to Amman Civil Airport from June 15. The carrier will operate daily flights between Jeddah and Amman Civil Airport, also known as Marka Airport. The move shifts the route from Queen Alia International Airport, which will continue to serve flynas flights from Riyadh, Dammam and Madinah.
June 3
Air Astana has commenced seasonal flights from Astana to Larnaca, Cyprus. A second route from Almaty to Larnaca will start on June 4. Flights from Astana are operated twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, while flights from Almaty operate on Thursdays and Sundays. Both routes will use Airbus A321LR aircraft. In addition to Cyprus flights this summer, Air Astana will also operate seasonal services to leisure destinations in Turkey, Georgia and Montenegro.
Spain’s Air Europa has expanded its domestic network with the launch of flights from Madrid to Oviedo and Seville, while also increasing service to Italy. The carrier has commenced 2X-daily flights to both Oviedo and Seville using Boeing 737 aircraft. Air Europa says it plans to operate more than 850 flights on each route during 2026, offering more than 153,000 seats in each market. The airline has also increased frequencies between Madrid and both Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa to three daily flights year-round. The carrier serves both routes using 737-800s.
Norwegian has launched nonstop service from Billund, Denmark, to Malta, while flights from Billund to Nice are scheduled to begin June 12. The routes are the final additions in a broader expansion that has seen the carrier introduce nine new destinations from Billund Airport. Airport operator data shows passenger traffic rose 18.1% year on year in May to 311,396 travelers, supported in part by network growth from Norwegian and other airlines ahead of the peak summer season.
Austrian Airlines has launched service between Vienna and Bergen, Norway, operating three times per week with Airbus A320 aircraft. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, the route is the only nonstop link between Bergen and Austria. Bergen becomes Austrian Airlines’ fourth destination in Norway, joining Oslo, Tromso and Harstad/Narvik.
ITA Airways will resume flights between Rome Fiumicino and Tel Aviv on July 1, restoring service with 2X-daily operations. The route will be served using Airbus A321neo aircraft. The airline says the schedule is designed to provide onward connections through Rome to destinations across its domestic, European and long-haul network. The resumption marks the latest step in the gradual restoration of air services to Israel by European carriers following the recent Middle East crisis.
June 2
El Al Israel Airlines will expand its North American network with the launch of nonstop flights between Tel Aviv and San Francisco from Oct. 25 using Boeing 787-9s, restoring service to the Bay Area for the first time since 2020. The route will operate three times per week on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and becomes the carrier’s sixth U.S. destination, alongside New York John F. Kennedy, Newark, Miami, Boston and Los Angeles. The airline says the route is aimed at serving growing demand from both the business sector and the large Israeli community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Ethiopian Airlines plans to launch flights between Addis Ababa and Port Louis, Mauritius, from July 12. The new route will operate three times per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays using Boeing 737-8 aircraft. “By expanding regional connectivity, this service will elevate tourism, catalyze trade and foster stronger people-to-people interactions, while creating an essential gateway that links regional markets to global networks,” the airline says in a statement.
United Airlines will commence nonstop service between Newark and St. Croix on Oct. 31, becoming the sole carrier offering direct flights between the island and the New York metropolitan area. The route will operate weekly on Saturdays using Boeing 737-700 aircraft. United says the service will complement its existing Newark-St. Thomas operation. With the addition of St. Croix, the carrier will serve 23 Caribbean destinations from Newark.
VietJet is adding a new route to the Philippines with the launch of nonstop flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Cebu. The new service will begin on Dec. 11 and operate 5X weekly. “Following the successful launch of the Ho Chi Minh City-Manila route in late 2025, the new Ho Chi Minh City-Cebu service will provide travelers with additional convenient travel options between the two countries while supporting economic development across Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region,” the LCC says in a statement.
Air Serbia has boosted its Spanish network with the launch of nonstop flights between Belgrade and Alicante, adding a sixth destination in the country. The new route operates twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays using Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. Alicante, located on Spain’s Costa Blanca, joins Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia in Air Serbia’s Spanish network.
ITA Airways has expanded its short-haul network with the launch of new seasonal services from Rome Fiumicino to Malaga and Valencia in Spain and Marseille, France. The routes commenced on June 1 and will operate daily through Sept. 30. The airline says the new services form part of a broader expansion of its summer 2026 network, which also includes seasonal routes to Mykonos, Alicante and Trapani, along with increased frequencies to several Mediterranean destinations including Brindisi, Lampedusa, Pantelleria, Palma de Mallorca, Nice and Tunis.
June 1
Air Transat is expanding its Istanbul network with the launch of nonstop flights between Montreal and Istanbul. The new route will begin on Oct. 29 and operate year-round twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays using Airbus A330 aircraft. The addition gives Air Transat up to 5X-weekly flights to Istanbul across its network, including the 3X-weekly service from Toronto. Sebastian Ponce, chief revenue officer of Air Transat, says the service strengthens the airline's Montreal operation while leveraging its partnership with Turkish Airlines to provide onward connectivity beyond Istanbul to destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Caucasus.
VietJet is increasing its Singapore network with the launch of a new route from Nha Trang, creating the fifth nonstop link between Singapore and Vietnam operated by the carrier. The new service will begin on Dec. 11 and operate four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. VietJet also serves Singapore from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Phu Quoc.
KM Malta Airlines has launched a new route between Malta and Palermo, Italy, marking the carrier’s second new destination to commence operations within a week following the introduction of Malaga service. The route operates 3X-weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Ryanair is adding 12 new routes from Warsaw during the winter 2026-27 season. The carrier said growth will be driven primarily by expansion at Warsaw Modlin Airport, where it will base two additional Boeing 737 aircraft from October, increasing its based fleet to eight aircraft. Ryanair plans to open five new routes to Bratislava, Bristol, Manchester, Shannon and Zagreb. At Warsaw Chopin Airport, the ULCC will expand its network to 16 routes and increase annual passenger numbers by more than 50% to about 800,000. New services will be launched to Bari, Bologna, Catania, Liverpool, Naples, Turin and Venice.
LOT Polish Airlines has expanded its summer network with the launch of new seasonal services from Warsaw Chopin Airport to Heraklion, Greece, and Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Both routes will operate three times per week throughout the summer season. The Warsaw-Palma de Mallorca service operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while flights between Warsaw and Heraklion operate on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays.
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