Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C June 17, 2024)

David Casey Aaron Karp June 21, 2024

finnair a320 — Credit: Olaf Schuelke/Alamy Stock Photo

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

June 21

Etihad Airways has launched service between Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) and Jaipur International Airport (JAI) in northwestern India. The route will be flown 4X-weekly with an Airbus A320 aircraft. Jaipur is the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, which Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves called “a significant cultural and commercial center.” In a statement, he said that “by establishing this crucial air link with Rajasthan, we aim to meet the increasing demand from travelers in and around the region.” He noted JAI-originating passengers can connect to destinations around the world via Etihad flights from the carrier’s AUH hub. “The start of the Jaipur service further underlines Etihad’s deepening commitment to the Indian market,” the airline said.

Finnair is bringing back seasonal service to Bodø, Norway, for the northern hemisphere summer. The airline launched the seasonal route from Helsinki in the 2023 summer and resumed the service for this year on June 17. The carrier will operate the route 5X-weekly through Aug. 12, up from 3X-weekly service last summer. Finnair noted the flight marks the only international service from Bodø.

Air France will open a Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)-Zanzibar-Kilimanjaro routing from Nov. 18, operating the service connecting the two Tanzanian cities to CDG 3X-weekly. The service, to be flown with an Airbus A350-900, will replace the currently operated CDG-Zanzibar-Dar Es Salam routing, with the airline opting to end the connection between Tanzania’s largest city and CDG in favor of adding Kilimanjaro.

Oman’s SalamAir will open service from Muscat International Airport (MCT) to both Islamabad (5X-weekly) and Lahore (3X-weekly) in Pakistan the week commencing July 8. The new additions will bring to six the number of Pakistani cities to which SalamAir operates from MCT.

June 20

LATAM Airlines opened service between Santiago International Airport (SCL) in Chile and Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida, reviving a route it last flew in 2018. The airline will operate the SCL-MCO route 2X-weekly through September 2024, and then fly the route again from December through March 2025. This schedule will cover “the summer season of both hemispheres,” and make “available to passengers a nonstop option to Orlando, a city that due to its offer of theme parks is one of the favorite destinations of Chileans during the holidays,” LATAM said in a statement. Flights will be operated with a Boeing 787 aircraft. Flight time is just over 9 hr. The nonstop route will “save between 3 to 4 hr. of travel time compared to a flight with a stopover in Sao Paulo or Bogota,” said LATAM director of corporate affairs, Juan José Tohá. The SCL-MCO route is being operated as part of the LATAM-Delta Air Lines antitrust-immunized joint venture, approved in 2022, which allows the carriers to coordinate schedules and prices on a metal-neutral basis for flights between North and South America.

Spirit Airlines will start daily service from its Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) base in Florida to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama from Oct. 10. The FLL-BHM route will mark the U.S. ULCC’s debut at BHM and its first flights to the state of Alabama. Spirit vice president for network planning, John Kirby, said the route “will provide an attractive alternative to driving.”

Alaska Airlines launched seasonal flights between Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and New York John. F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), becoming the only airline to connect the two U.S. airports nonstop. The route will be operated daily with a Boeing 737-8 aircraft through Aug. 19. “At 3,385 mi., our Anchorage-New York JFK route is the longest in our network,” the carrier said in a statement, noting the 737-8 “has the longest range of any plane in our fleet.”

LOT Polish Airlines entered the Saudi Arabian market this month with new service to Riyadh. Flights from Warsaw are operating 3X-weekly with a Boeing 737-8 aircraft.

June 18

Vietnam Airlines has inaugurated flights between Vietnam and the Philippines, becoming the sole Vietnamese airline to serve the market. Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Manila will be offered four times per week, while Hanoi-Manila will be served 3X-weekly. A statement from the airline says: “The Philippines is a high-potential market for Vietnam Airlines. The airline will serve tourists, business travelers, as well as the community of nearly 30,000 Vietnamese people living in the Philippines and about 7,000 Filipinos residing in Vietnam.”

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has introduced a new route from Denmark’s capital Copenhagen to Atlanta, marking its ninth destination in North America. Flights will be daily using Airbus A330 and A350 aircraft. The launch of the route is a first step by the Scandinavian carrier to realign its network ahead of switching alliances to SkyTeam from Sept. 1. SAS CCO Paul Verhagen says: “Leisure travelers can look forward to exploring Atlanta and several new destinations across the U.S., all conveniently accessible from Atlanta. For business travelers, Atlanta serves as a significant hub, home to numerous Fortune 500 companies, making it a lucrative and essential destination.”

Smartwings plans to launch a route to Qatar from Sept. 30. Flights will connect Bratislava M.R. Stefanik Airport, Slovakia, and Doha’s Hamad International Airport once a week on Mondays. The schedule will operate through Jan. 6, 2025, and again from April 7.

Loong Air has added a new route between Xi'an, China, and Samarkand International Airport (SKD), Uzbekistan. Operations will be 2X-weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays using Airbus A320 aircraft. “The opening of direct flights to Xi'an will have a positive impact on both the cultural and economic development linking our countries, as we begin to build the tourism potential of both cities,” says Ulugbek Shamsikulov, general director of SKD operator Air Marakanda.

AirAsia has resumed service from Kuala Lumpur to Pattaya, Thailand’s eighth-largest city. Flights will operate three times per week. The reinstatement of the route marks the airline's ninth nonstop service from Malaysia’s capital to Thailand.

June 17

Air Canada has launched two new routes to Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN). The Star Alliance member will serve the Swedish capital twice a week from Toronto Pearson International Airport and three times per week from Montreal Trudeau International Airport. “Air Canada's establishment at Stockholm Arlanda shows a great understanding of Stockholm's central role as an important hub in the region,” says Jonas Abrahamsson, president and CEO of ARN operator Swedavia. “Air Canada’s investment strengthens Swedish connectivity and further improves our offer of destinations at the airport, both for those traveling for business or to visit friends and family.”

JetBlue Airways has confirmed it will launch flights between Boston Logan International Airportand Presque Isle International Airport (PQI), Maine. The Essential Air Service (EAS) route will commence on Sept. 5 onboard Embraer E190 aircraft. “We take our responsibility of offering northern Maine reliable, high-quality service seriously, and look forward to introducing the region to our award-winning JetBlue experience,” says Dave Jehn, vice president for network planning and airline partnerships at JetBlue. JetBlue replaces United Airlines in offering EAS service from PQI.

Bahrain’s Gulf Air has started a seasonal route to Rhodes, Greece. The service from Bahrain International Airport to Rhodes Airport will run twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays through Sept. 28 using Airbus A320neo equipment. Earlier this month, Gulf Air Group CEO Jeffrey Goh told Aviation Week that the carrier is targeting a 10% improvement in passenger numbers this year, underpinned by healthy demand projections.

Air Arabia has commenced its first flights to Krakow, Poland. Operations from Sharjah International Airport, in the United Arab Emirates, to Krakow John Paul II International Airport will be daily using Airbus A320 aircraft. “We are confident that the new daily service connecting both cities will also contribute to strengthening the trade and tourism ties between both nations,” Air Arabia Group CEO Adel Al Ali says.

Jetstar Asia has resumed service between Singapore’s Changi Airport and Clark International Airport in the Philippines. The LCC will offer four roundtrips per week using Airbus A320s. Frequencies are scheduled to increase to 5X-weekly from Oct. 18. “Clark serves as an important hub for both business and leisure travelers, and we are excited to offer more travel options for our customers,” Jetstar Asia COO Geoffrey Lui says.

Indian carrier Akasa Air has begun operations between Mumbai and Riyadh, becoming the airline’s second destination in Saudi Arabia, after Jeddah. Nonstop flights linking Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh will be offered daily. “[Riyadh] holds immense potential as a tourist destination, and the launch of daily direct flights connecting the city with Mumbai will enhance passenger and cargo capacity on the route, catering to the growing demand for trade and tourism,” Akasa co-founder and CCO Praveen Iyer says.

SalamAir has confirmed the additions of two new destinations in Pakistan. From Muscat, the Omani LCC will operate five flights per week to Islamabad from July 8 and three to Lahore from July 9. This expansion brings the total number of destinations operated in Pakistan to six.

Vietjet’s first-ever flights between Vietnam’s largest island Phu Quoc and the cities of Taichung and Kaohsiung in Taiwan have taken off. Phu Quoc-Taichung will operate 3X-weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while Phu Quoc-Kaohsiung has four flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The latest new routes come after the Vietnamese LCC inaugurated service from Hanoi to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, as well as to Hiroshima, Japan. A new route lining Ho Chi Minh City and Xi’an, China, will also start on July 1.