The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
March 6
Lufthansa will launch 5X-weekly nonstop service between Frankfurt and Kuala Lumpur from Oct. 25. The year-round route will be served using Boeing 787-9 aircraft featuring the airline’s new Allegris cabin with 287 seats across three classes. “With the new nonstop connection to Kuala Lumpur and the deployment of our highly modern Dreamliner, we are creating ideal conditions to participate in the growth of Southeast Asia,” says Lufthansa Airlines CEO Jens Ritter.
Wizz Air will open three new routes from Sofia, Bulgaria, adding services to Egypt and Albania as it expands its Southeast Europe network. The airline will introduce 3X-weekly flights to Tirana from July 4. Service to Sharm el-Sheikh will begin July 5 with 2X-weekly summer flights, increasing to 3X-weekly in the winter season. A new Sofia-Hurghada route will start Oct. 25 with 2X-weekly service. “We are excited to add Egypt to our ever-growing network from Sofia, making us the only low-cost airline to serve these routes directly from Bulgaria,” says Salvatore Gabriele Imperiale, corporate communications manager at Wizz Air. The expansion follows the addition of an eighth aircraft at Wizz’s Sofia base.
EasyJet has started a 4X-weekly service between Birmingham, England, and Rome Fiumicino. The new route operates on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. The move comes as the airline plans to add a sixth Airbus A320-family aircraft to its Birmingham base this summer, increasing capacity and enabling additional routes across Europe.
March 5
Transavia will increase summer capacity between Innsbruck and Amsterdam, operating up to 4X-weekly flights during the peak summer period. From April 12, the KLM subsidiary will add a third weekly flight on the route for the full summer schedule. A fourth weekly frequency will operate between June 29 and Aug. 23 using Boeing 737-800s. “We hope the new connections will be well received. Strong demand can form the basis for a gradual expansion of the flight offering in the coming years,” says Innsbruck Airport Managing Director Marco Pernetta.
IndiGo will launch 3X-weekly nonstop service between Chennai and Reunion Island from April 29, expanding its Indian Ocean network and adding a new French overseas destination. The route will be operated with Airbus A320 aircraft and marks Reunion Island as IndiGo’s 46th international destination and its 13th served from Chennai. The LCC says the route will support leisure demand as well as travel linked to the Indian diaspora on the island.
Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas has resumed scheduled service between Madrid and Caracas, gradually restoring capacity after the normalization of air travel between Spain and Venezuela. The carrier restarted the route with 3X-weekly flights from Madrid operating Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Frequencies will increase to 4X-weekly from April 1 with the addition of a Sunday service from Tenerife, rising to 5X-weekly flights from July 1 with an additional Madrid departure. The route had been temporarily suspended since Nov. 23, 2025.
March 4
IndiGo will launch daily nonstop service between Kolkata and Shanghai from March 29, expanding its China network following the reinstatement of flights to Guangzhou last October. The new route will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. “We are pleased to announce the launch of our new daily, direct connectivity between Kolkata and Shanghai, China, in addition to our flights to Guangzhou,” says Vinay Malhotra, global head of sales. “This addition to our network will play an important role in facilitating bilateral trade and is expected to boost tourism and promote greater cultural exchange between the two nations.”
AirAsia will resume Kuala Lumpur-Wuhan service from May 22, operating 4X-weekly flights as it rebuilds capacity in the China market. The reinstated route strengthens connectivity between Malaysia and central China and supports Kuala Lumpur’s role as a regional hub linking ASEAN, Australia and more than 150 destinations across the AirAsia network. “China has always been a strong market for AirAsia, and today we are proud to reaffirm our leadership position with the resumption of the Kuala Lumpur-Wuhan route,” says Fareh Mazputra, general manager of AirAsia Malaysia. He adds the service previously achieved average load factors above 80%.
Turkey’s AJet has launched a 5X-weekly service between Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Tirana, Albania. The route operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The new link provides direct access between Istanbul and the Albanian capital as demand builds ahead of the spring and summer travel season.
China Eastern Airlines has confirmed several network additions for 2026. The carrier will launch Shanghai Pudong-Tashkent from March 30 and seasonal Shanghai Pudong-Adelaide service between June 20 and Aug. 2. As previously reported, a new Xi’an-Vienna route will begin April 20. Additional planned international launches from Shanghai include Mumbai, Dublin, Cheongju, Manado, Surabaya, Tbilisi and Ulaanbaatar. China Eastern also plans to increase frequencies from Shanghai to key European points including Copenhagen, London Gatwick, Frankfurt, Barcelona and Venice, as well as to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Regional services to Daegu and Cebu will see added capacity. The airline also plans to resume Kunming-Kolkata and Shanghai-Stockholm.
LATAM Airlines Brasil will increase frequencies on its planned Sao Paulo Guarulhos-Amsterdam route to 6X-weekly from April 18, shortly after the service launches March 30. The carrier had already announced its entry into the Dutch market with 4X-weekly flights, but confirmed the capacity increase ahead of launch, citing strong demand.
March 3
Jet2.com will add three new summer 2027 destinations from Bournemouth and Edinburgh. From Bournemouth, the carrier will launch weekly Sunday service to Reus, Spain, from May 2 through Oct. 31, expanding its Costa Dorada offering and bringing its total summer 2027 network from the airport to 18 destinations. From Edinburgh, Jet2 will introduce weekly Wednesday flights to Crete, Greece, from May 5 to Oct. 27, and weekly Sunday service to Pula from May 2 to Oct. 17. The additions bring the airline’s summer 2027 network from Edinburgh to 40 destinations.
Jetstar will launch seasonal nonstop service between Christchurch and Perth from October 2026 through March 2027, adding more than 30,000 seats across the period. The 3X-weekly flights, operating Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, will be flown by Airbus A321LR aircraft, with a block time of just over seven hours. Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully says, “We’re thrilled to be launching our new nonstop service between Christchurch and Perth, giving New Zealanders an affordable and convenient way to connect with Western Australia’s incredible beaches, vibrant food scene and outdoor adventures.”
Azores Airlines will introduce a new service between Terceira and Madeira as part of its summer 2026 schedule, expanding connectivity between the two Portuguese archipelagos. The route is scheduled to launch May 7 with weekly Thursday service, increasing to 2X-weekly between June and September during peak demand. In the summer peak, an additional Monday frequency will operate, with return flights the following day. The new nonstop route complements existing services via Ponta Delgada and will bring Azores Airlines’ total summer peak offering to 12X-weekly frequencies between the Azores and Madeira. The Lajes-Funchal route follows an update to Portugal’s public service obligations, which now include the direct link as part of the regulated air service framework between the two island regions.
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