Easyjet Airbus A321neo
The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Nov. 21
EasyJet will launch 16 new routes from eight UK airports for summer 2026. The carrier will add a third UK route to Sal, Cape Verde, from Bristol starting May 1, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Bristol will also gain new 2X-weekly flights to Bari from April 18 and to Seville from May 2. From Birmingham, easyJet will add 2X-weekly service to Inverness on March 30 and to Nice on May 1. Manchester will see new flights to Montpellier on March 30 and Preveza on June 24, while Liverpool gains Lisbon on March 31 and Paphos on Aug. 2. Additional launches include Jersey from London Southend, Paris CDG from London Stansted, Tenerife from Newcastle, and four new routes from Glasgow to Lisbon, Malta, Pisa and Sharm El Sheikh.
Air Transat will open a new nonstop Toronto Pearson-Accra service for summer 2026, expanding its African network with 2X-weekly flights operating June 17-Oct. 22. The move follows confirmation that a Toronto-Dakar route will commence next June. Sebastian Ponce, Air Transat’s Chief Revenue Officer, says the route “aligns with our growth strategy on the African continent and directly responds to the needs of the Ghanaian diaspora in Ontario.”
Frontier Airlines has announced plans for four new U.S. routes early next year. The Denver-based ULCC will launch 3X-weekly Newark-Orlando flights on Jan. 21, 2026, followed by 2X-weekly Salt Lake City-Tucson service on Jan. 22. On Feb. 13, Frontier will begin 3X-weekly Miami-Chicago O’Hare flights and 2X-weekly Orlando-Pensacola service. The airline will face competition on all four of the services.
Ryanair will cancel all flights to and from the Azores from March 29, 2026, citing what it calls excessive airport fees and rising regulatory costs in Portugal. The carrier said the decision follows increases in Portuguese airport charges by ANA, owned by France’s VINCI, as well as higher ATC fees and a €2 ($2.30) travel tax. Ryanair CCO Jason McGuinness says the cuts follow “excessive airport charges across Portugal” and claimed EU environmental taxes disadvantage “remote regions such as the Azores.”
Wizz Air will add four new Polish routes for summer 2026, introducing Rijeka as a new station in its network and launching service from Gdańsk, Katowice and Lublin, as well as a new Katowice-Rimini route. The flights begin between late March and early June and will operate two to three times per week using Airbus A321neo aircraft. Separately, Wizz Air will launch 3X-weekly Sofia-Rimini service from March 31, becoming the route’s sole scheduled operator.
Norwegian will launch four new routes from Sweden for summer 2026, adding Montpellier, Basel and Beirut from Stockholm Arlanda and Riga from Göteborg Landvetter. The expansion builds on previously announced new services to Hamburg, Milan and Tirana. “Norwegian's investment in the Swedish air travel market is a clear sign of the high demand for international travel to and from Sweden,” says Elizabeth Axtelius, Swedavia’s Director of Aviation Business. Arlanda-Beirut will operate weekly from April 3; Arlanda-Montpellier 2X-weekly from May 16; Arlanda-Basel 2X-weekly from May 22. Landvetter-Riga begins March 29 with 2X-weekly service.
Nov. 20
Vietnam Airlines and Etihad Airways have launched a new codeshare partnership. Vietnam Airlines passengers will gain access to six destinations beyond Abu Dhabi—Athens, Addis Ababa, Bahrain, Muscat, Cairo and Istanbul—while travelers flying Etihad to Hanoi can connect across Vietnam Airlines’ wider Asian network. “Our new codeshare cooperation with Etihad Airways… gives Vietnam Airlines customers access to a wider range of seamless travel options,” says Nguyen Quang Trung, the carrier’s Director of Corporate Planning and Development.
Air Canada and Emirates have agreed to extend and expand their strategic partnership through 2032, building on a codeshare and loyalty arrangement launched in 2022. The airlines plan enhanced priority benefits, broader airport lounge access and deeper cargo cooperation, with a potential joint venture under consideration. Emirates and Air Canada will also coordinate on future operations at Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport after 2032. Air Canada’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, says the partnership “strengthens our international strategy” and supports daily Toronto-Dubai services while offering “seamless connections to destinations across the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.”
IndiGo will launch daily nonstop flights between Indore and Rewa from Dec. 22, becoming the only airline to offer nonstop service between the two Madhya Pradesh cities. The route will be operated with ATR aircraft and is intended to improve regional connectivity while feeding IndiGo’s wider domestic network. Rewa becomes the airline’s sixth destination in Madhya Pradesh.
Gulf Air will begin operating daily flights from Bahrain to Moscow Sheremetyevo from March 2, 2026, adding service to Russia’s largest airport. The airline currently serves Moscow Domodedovo daily, operating using Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Air Transat and Turkish Airlines have activated new interline and codeshare agreements designed to expand connectivity between Canada, Turkey and onward destinations across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The partnership enables customers to book single-ticket itineraries combining both carriers and check bags through to their final destination. The interline deal provides access to cities such as Tehran, Delhi, Colombo and Beirut via Turkish Airlines’ network, while the codeshare begins with both airlines placing their codes on each other’s Toronto-Istanbul flights, with more connections to follow. Air Transat will also add a Thursday frequency to its Toronto-Istanbul route from May 28, 2026, increasing service to 3X-weekly flights.
Nov. 19
Allegiant Air plans to launch 30 new nonstop routes in the first half of 2026, expanding service across 35 U.S. cities and entering four new markets: La Crosse, Wisconsin; Philadelphia; Trenton, New Jersey; and Columbia, Missouri. The expansion strengthens the carrier’s focus on linking small and midsize communities with leisure destinations. New flights include links from La Crosse to Phoenix-Mesa and Orlando Sanford, from Philadelphia to Des Moines and Knoxville, and from Trenton to Fort Lauderdale and Punta Gorda. Gulf Shores, Burbank, Santa Ana and Myrtle Beach also gain multiple additions. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that Allegiant will face competition on just five of the 30 routes.
Iberia will expand its North American network next summer with a new nonstop Madrid-Toronto route launching June 13, 2026. The airline will operate 5X-weekly flights—on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday—using Airbus A321XLR aircraft. “This launch is part of our Flight Plan 2030, through which we continue to expand our long-haul network and strengthen our presence in North America,” says María Jesús López Solás, Iberia’s chief commercial, network development and alliances officer. Toronto Pearson CEO Deborah Flint adds that the new service will “strengthen our global network” and expand connectivity across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Azores Airlines and SATA Air Açores will boost capacity over the Christmas and New Year travel period, adding more than 8,500 seats across their networks to meet strong seasonal demand. Azores Airlines plans to add about 5,000 seats on services linking mainland Portugal—Porto and Lisbon—with the Azores archipelago, including Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria, Faial and Pico, as well as on flights between Madeira and the Azores. The extra capacity will operate from Dec. 8 to Jan. 4, with the biggest increases concentrated between Dec. 20 and Jan. 4. SATA Air Açores will also add roughly 3,500 seats on inter-island flights within the Azores.
Turkish LCC AJet will launch a new nonstop service between Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen and Beirut on Dec. 2. Flights to the Lebanese capital will operate daily. Additionally, the carrier will grow its European network next summer with a new Hamburg–Bodrum route from June 27, 2026. Flights will run twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Guernsey will designate the Guernsey-Jersey air link as an essential air route from Jan. 15, 2026, introducing a licensing requirement for any airline operating the sector to ensure minimum service levels and greater network resilience. The decision follows the collapse of regional carrier Blue Islands last week. Under the new rules, airlines will need a license issued by the States of Guernsey’s Transport Licensing Authority, a process that typically takes at least four weeks and includes mandatory public consultation. Until the changes take effect, carriers may continue operating the route without a license.
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has boosted frequencies across more than 20 international routes. The carrier has increased many high-demand routes to daily service, including Milan, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chisinau and Tashkent, up from three to five weekly flights last winter. Frequencies were also raised to 5X-weekly on routes such as Almaty, Jeddah and Astana, while Barcelona, London Gatwick and Riyadh rise to 4X-weekly. Bishkek, Dushanbe, Male and Beijing now receive three flights per week, and Samarkand and Urgench return to the network with 2X-weekly service after no winter operation last season.
Nov. 18
Spain’s Vueling will commence daily Seville-London Heathrow (LHR) flights from March 29, 2026. The service, operated with Airbus A320s, will complement Vueling’s existing Seville-London Gatwick flights, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows. Several other carriers already serve the wider London-Seville market, including Ryanair from Luton and Stansted, easyJet from Gatwick and British Airways from Gatwick. However, Vueling’s move gives Seville its first connection to LHR and positions the LCC to target Oneworld feed via parent company International Airlines Group’s strong presence at the airport.
AirAsia X has launched its first service to Turkey, inaugurating flights between Kuala Lumpur and Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Flights will be offered four times per week. “The launch of our inaugural service to Istanbul is a bold, yet long-awaited step in AirAsia X's long-haul growth strategy,” says Capital A Executive Chairman Kamarudin Meranun. The service is expected to provide more than 150,000 seats annually between the destinations.
SkyUp has opened ticket sales for its 2026 summer schedule to Turkey, adding services from Moldova’s capital Chisinau to Antalya, Bodrum and Dalaman. The routes will operate from mid-May through early October, with daily Antalya flights; 2X-weekly Dalaman flights on Tuesdays and Fridays; and 2X-weekly Bodrum flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Virgin Atlantic has launched a new interline agreement with InterCaribbean Airways, opening connections from Barbados and Antigua to 11 destinations including Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, Kingston, Turks & Caicos and onward to Georgetown, Guyana. The UK carrier has also broadened its partnership with Caribbean Airlines, adding links to 16 destinations such as Beef Island and San Juan. Additionally, Virgin Atlantic is increasing its own inter-island Caribbean flying this winter as well, with services between Barbados, Grenada and St. Vincent rising from two to 3X-weekly, operated by Airbus A330-900neos.
BermudAir has unveiled an expanded 2026 summer schedule that will offer up to 36X-weekly flights to 11 North American gateways. The growth follows recent network additions to New York LaGuardia, Newark, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond and Montreal. The airline says summer capacity will rise 20% year over year from Boston, 15% from Toronto and 80% from the New York area, while Orlando will gain a third weekly peak-season frequency in July and August.
Wizz Air has opened a new base at Bratislava Airport, stationing four Airbus A321neos to support 27 routes across Europe as the ULCC expands its presence in Slovakia. The move comes after the airline confirmed the closure of its base in Vienna. “Today marks an exciting milestone for Wizz Air in Slovakia,” Wizz Air Hungary MD Roland Tischner says. “This base will enable us to serve passengers with even greater efficiency, offering more destinations [and] better schedules.”
Nov. 17
Arajet has launched its first route to the U.S. Midwest, inaugurating service between Chicago O’Hare and Punta Cana as the Dominican carrier expands its U.S. network. The flights operate three times a week using Boeing 737-8 aircraft. “Flying to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, one of the most important airports in the world, represents an exciting new chapter for Arajet as we continue expanding across the U.S.,” says Manuel Luna, Arajet’s chief communications officer. The airline plans to continue its U.S. growth with a new Boston route launching Nov. 21.
Condor will add London Gatwick to its network next April, launching three daily flights from Frankfurt. “With London Gatwick, we are adding another exciting metropolis to our city network, offering business travelers and city tourists even more options,” Condor CEO Peter Gerber says. “The launch of this route is another clear signal of our growth in the European market.” London Gatwick CCO Jonathan Pollard adds that the link connects London with “one of Europe’s most influential financial hubs,” while also supporting leisure demand through Frankfurt’s cultural appeal. Additionally, Condor plans to operate weekly nonstop flights from Dusseldorf to Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq from December and will open a daily route connecting Frankfurt and Tbilisi, Georgia, from June 2026.
Qantas has begun operating its new Airbus A321XLR on Brisbane-Sydney services. The airline is the first in Asia-Pacific and only the fourth globally to fly the type. Qantas expects its third A321XLR to arrive in the coming weeks.
IndiGo will begin operations from the new Navi Mumbai International Airport on Dec. 25, launching flights to 10 domestic cities as the facility opens as the Mumbai region’s second major hub. The carrier said it will connect the airport to New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, North Goa, Jaipur, Nagpur, Cochin and Mangalore, with additional routes to follow. Akasa Air will also start service at Navi Mumbai on Dec. 25, operating an inaugural New Delhi-Navi Mumbai flight the same day. The airline plans routes to Goa Manohar, New Delhi, Kochi and Ahmedabad in its first week. Additionally, IndiGo has commenced nonstop flights between New Delhi and Manchester. Service will be 5X-weekly using Boeing 787-9 aircraft taken on damp lease from Norse Atlantic Airways.
Emirates will add a third daily Dubai-Nairobi flight from March 1, 2026, expanding its schedule to 21X-weekly services. The airline says the new early-morning arrival and departure will improve two-way connectivity with European and U.S. markets and support Kenya’s goal of attracting 5 million international tourists by 2030. The service will be operated with a three-class Boeing 777 aircraft.
UK-based easyJet has launched its first flights between Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Vienna, adding a new 3X-weekly service for the winter season. The route operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
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