The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Oct. 2
JetBlue Airways has launched daily nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Barranquilla, Colombia, using Airbus A320 aircraft. Barranquilla becomes the airline's third destination in Colombia alongside Medellin and Cartagena, with service to Cali scheduled to launch later in October. The addition will take the airline's Colombian network to four destinations and further expand its international operation from Fort Lauderdale. “Fort Lauderdale continues to grow as an important connecting gateway for JetBlue, connecting customers from Barranquilla not only to South Florida but also to destinations across JetBlue's broader network across the U.S. and beyond,” says Daniel Shurz, JetBlue's senior vice president for revenue, network and enterprise planning. Spirit Airlines previously operated the route. Additionally, JetBlue has reportedly scheduled its proposed Venezuela entry, with daily Fort Lauderdale-Caracas service set to commence on Feb. 4, 2027. The carrier first announced the plans in May.
Riyadh Air will increase Riyadh-London Heathrow service from daily to 9X-weekly from Nov. 2, adding flights on Mondays and Wednesdays. The additional services will depart Riyadh at 12:55 p.m., with the return leaving Heathrow at 7:10 p.m. The expansion comes less than five months after Riyadh Air launched commercial service to London on June 10. The carrier currently operates eight aircraft to 14 destinations across Europe, the Middle East and Asia and aims to have almost 30 destinations on sale by the end of 2026. Three additional Boeing 787-9s are due for delivery in the coming weeks, while Riyadh Air expects to receive its first Airbus A321neo during the fourth quarter.
Delta Air Lines plans to open a year-round nonstop service between Salt Lake City and Flagstaff, Arizona, on June 7, 2027. Flights will operate 2X-daily and be flown by Delta Connection partner SkyWest Airlines using Bombardier CRJ-550 aircraft. Flagstaff is the latest addition to Delta’s Salt Lake City network, following new services to Santa Rosa/Sonoma County, California, launching Oct. 6, and Monterey, California, from Dec. 19.
Air France has resumed service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Beirut, Lebanon, operating 5X-weekly. Flights are scheduled on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The airline says continued operations will remain subject to regular assessments of the security situation in the Middle East.
Oct. 1
Air Astana will launch nonstop service between Astana and Bangkok on Dec. 11. Flights will operate 2X-weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays using Airbus A321LR aircraft. The new route will complement Air Astana’s existing daily service between Almaty and Bangkok, providing the airline with 9X-weekly flights to the Thai capital. The Astana-Bangkok flight will take about 7 hr. 50 min., with the return sector scheduled at approximately 8 hr. 30 min.
Loganair is increasing service between the Isle of Man and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to 11X-weekly from Oct. 25, while ending its Isle of Man-London City route following a review of customer demand. The LHR schedule will include 2X-daily flights Monday-Friday. An additional evening service will operate on Sundays. Loganair says the increased frequency will improve opportunities for same-day business trips and onward connections through Heathrow. The Isle of Man will continue to have services to London Gatwick alongside the enhanced LHR operation.
Air Busan plans to commence service between Busan Gimhae International Airport and Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Nov. 11. Flights will initially operate 4X-weekly on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays using 232-seat Airbus A321neo aircraft. The South Korean carrier will increase the route to 6X-weekly between Dec. 22 and Feb. 28, 2027, to meet higher demand during the peak winter travel season.
Sept. 30
Malaysia Airlines and China Southern Airlines will expand their codeshare partnership from Oct. 25 to cover five additional routes between Kuala Lumpur and China. The expansion adds services linking the Malaysian capital with Shenzhen, Changsha, Xiamen, Chengdu Tianfu and Zhengzhou. The agreement will mean all Kuala Lumpur-China routes operated by the two carriers are covered by their codeshare partnership. Existing cooperation includes services to Guangzhou, Beijing Daxing and Shanghai Pudong, while the airlines also codeshare between Penang and Guangzhou. The partnership began with Kuala Lumpur-Guangzhou in July 2023 and was expanded in July 2024. Malaysia Airlines has added Kuala Lumpur services to Chengdu, Shenzhen and Changsha during 2026, while China Southern has increased capacity to Kuala Lumpur from Guangzhou and Shenzhen. “By working closely with Malaysia Airlines, we will further leverage our respective strengths, increase flight frequencies between China and Malaysia, and fully capitalize on the opportunities presented by the mutual visa-free policies,” says Han Wensheng, China Southern Air Holding Company president.
Uzbekistan’s Centrum Air will commence seasonal nonstop service between Tashkent and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on Oct. 28. Flights will operate 2X-weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays through the end of March 2027 using Airbus A320-family aircraft. The new route will provide direct access from Uzbekistan to southern Sri Lanka during the island’s peak winter tourism season.
Air Greenland has confirmed plans to launch nonstop service between Ilulissat and Copenhagen on Oct. 29, coinciding with the opening of Ilulissat’s new international airport. The inaugural flight will use the airline’s Airbus A330neo, with regular winter operations beginning in November using a Jettime Boeing 737-800, primarily on Wednesdays. From April 2027, Air Greenland’s new Airbus A320neo will take over the route, with frequencies gradually increasing to as many as 6X-weekly during the peak summer period. The airport’s opening will establish Ilulissat as Greenland’s second international hub alongside Nuuk.
Air Astana plans to launch seasonal nonstop service between Almaty and Langkawi, Malaysia, from Dec. 25. Flights will operate 3X-weekly using Airbus A321neo aircraft. Kazakh citizens can enter Malaysia visa-free for stays of up to 30 days.
Wizz Air is removing one of its two based aircraft from Craiova Airport, Romania, in October, resulting in five route suspensions and frequency reductions on four others. Paris Beauvais will be suspended from Oct. 21, followed by Barcelona on Oct. 22, Rome Fiumicino on Oct. 23, and Bologna and Venice on Oct. 24. The airline will reduce Craiova-Bari from 4X- to 2X-weekly, London Luton from daily to 3X-weekly, Milan Bergamo from daily to 5X-weekly and Birmingham from 3X- to 2X-weekly. Seasonal services to Naples and Athens will also be suspended for winter 2026-27 as previously scheduled.
Jet2.com will operate flights to Reykjavik from six UK airports during the winter 2027-28 season, with the program running from Oct. 4, 2027, through April 24, 2028. Manchester will have the longest season, operating 2X-weekly from Oct. 4-Dec. 6 and Jan. 28-April 24, with frequencies increasing to as many as 6X-weekly during school holidays. Birmingham will receive 2X-weekly flights from Oct. 14-Nov. 22 and Feb. 17-April 24, while London Stansted will initially operate 2X-weekly from Oct. 15-Nov. 22 and increase to 4X-weekly during the Feb. 14-28 school holiday period. Leeds Bradford and Newcastle will have services during selected autumn, February and Easter periods, while Jet2 will operate a dedicated four-night Bournemouth-Reykjavik trip from Feb. 10-14.
Sept. 29
Etihad Airways plans to increase Abu Dhabi-Sydney service from 10X-weekly to 2X-daily from Dec. 15, adding 4X-weekly flights and providing more than 5,000 seats per week between the cities. All 14X-weekly services will be operated using Airbus A350 aircraft. Etihad has served Sydney since 2007 and said the additional frequencies will improve connections through Abu Dhabi to destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The carrier’s Australian network also includes daily Abu Dhabi-Melbourne service using Boeing 787 aircraft. Etihad has interline partnerships with Qantas, Jetstar and Air New Zealand for onward connections from Sydney.
Cathay Pacific has extended the suspension of passenger flights to Dubai and Riyadh through Jan. 31, 2027, citing the latest developments in the Middle East. The Hong Kong-based carrier said passengers affected by the cancellations will be able to rebook or reroute their journeys or receive refunds. Cathay says it will continue to monitor the situation in the region before determining when services to the two destinations can resume.
LATAM Airlines Brasil will expand its Rio de Janeiro state network with new Sao Paulo Guarulhos services to Cabo Frio and Macae as part of the initial deployment of its Embraer 195-E2 fleet. Guarulhos-Cabo Frio will launch on Dec. 3, followed by Guarulhos-Macae in February 2027. The two cities join Ji-Parana and Rondonopolis among LATAM’s first new destinations served by the aircraft. LATAM plans to deploy the E195-E2 on 42 routes between November 2026 and March 2027, helping expand its Brazilian network from 63 airports currently to a record 67. The carrier is also evaluating up to 18 additional domestic destinations for a second phase of E195-E2 expansion in 2027.
Sept. 28
Delta Air Lines will add two European routes and extend the operating seasons of several transatlantic services in summer 2027. Boston-Venice will launch 4X-weekly from May 7 through Oct. 29 using Airbus A330-300 aircraft, while Detroit-Athens will operate 3X-weekly from June 8 through Oct. 28 with A330-200s. Boston-Milan Malpensa will also increase to daily. Delta will start seasonal Minneapolis-St. Paul-Rome and daily Detroit-Rome flights in early March, with Seattle-Rome returning in April. The carrier will also resume New York John F. Kennedy services to Catania, Porto, Prague and Copenhagen earlier in 2027, with Copenhagen operating daily. The expansion complements Delta’s previously announced daily Austin-Paris route, which starts March 27.
Greater Bay Airlines has launched a 4X-weekly service between Hong Kong and Surabaya, Indonesia, marking the carrier’s first route to the Indonesian market. The new service operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays to Surabaya Juanda International Airport. The addition expands the carrier’s network to more than 20 scheduled and seasonal routes across Asia and mainland China. Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city and a major commercial center in East Java, is expected to generate a mix of business and leisure traffic.
Alaska Airlines plans to increase seat capacity at Seattle Paine Field Airport by 50% through summer 2027, including the launch of a new route to San Jose, California. The carrier will begin 2X-daily Seattle/Everett-San Jose service on April 14, 2027, operated by Horizon Air using Embraer 175 aircraft. Alaska will also increase Seattle/Everett-Los Angeles to 2X-daily, with both flights operated using larger Boeing 737 aircraft, while Portland will rise to 2X-daily flights. Additional capacity will also be added to San Diego and San Francisco. The expansion will begin this fall and continue through summer 2027 as Alaska increases its presence at Paine Field, which complements its main Seattle-Tacoma International Airport hub.
Austrian Airlines will add 100 flights around Austria’s autumn school holiday period as it extends summer flying to several leisure destinations into the start of the winter 2026-27 season. Services to Ibiza, Alicante, Bilbao and Fuerteventura in Spain; Funchal, Portugal; Olbia, Palermo and Lamezia Terme in Italy; and Split, Croatia, will be extended, while frequencies will increase to destinations including Rome, Florence, Naples, Dubrovnik, Nice and Valencia. Palma de Mallorca will receive 11 additional flights and Larnaca 13. For winter, Austrian will also increase long-haul leisure capacity, operating up to 7X-weekly to both Male and Mauritius during peak periods, with Male reaching 10X-weekly in early February. Bangkok will increase to 14X-weekly in January and February, while Dubai returns with 5X-weekly A320neo service over the Christmas and New Year period.
Himalaya Airlines is resuming nonstop service between Kathmandu and Shanghai Pudong on Sept. 28, becoming the only carrier operating scheduled nonstop flights between the two cities. The Nepalese airline will initially operate the route 2X-weekly, with departures from Kathmandu on Mondays and Fridays and return flights from Shanghai on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The resumption restores Himalaya Airlines’ direct link between Nepal and Shanghai at the start of Nepal’s peak autumn tourism season. The carrier says it will consider increasing frequencies depending on passenger demand and load factors.
Pacific Coastal Airlines has launched a bilateral interline partnership with Air Canada, providing connections between its British Columbia network and Air Canada destinations in Canada and internationally. The agreement allows eligible connecting journeys involving the two airlines to be booked on a single ticket, with passengers able to check-in and receive boarding passes for all flights at their initial departure point. The partnership covers connections between Pacific Coastal services and flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express.
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