The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
Sept. 11
JetBlue Airways has asked the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) to extend its dormancy waiver for 20X-weekly U.S.-Havana frequencies through the winter 2026-27 season, citing continued uncertainty in the U.S.-Cuba market. The carrier said the requested extension would give it more time to assess market conditions after the DOT previously granted a waiver covering the current summer season. JetBlue added that several U.S. airlines have either returned Cuba frequencies or sought similar waivers, arguing that demand remains weak and unused frequencies remain available for reallocation should other airlines wish to operate the routes.
TransNusa has launched nonstop service between Bali, Indonesia, and Phuket, Thailand, with 4X-weekly flights linking the two leisure destinations. Flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The route will increase to daily from Oct. 3 and is operated using 174-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. TransNusa says the service strengthens its Bali hub while eliminating the need for connecting flights between the destinations.
Air Cairo plans to launch a route between Hurghada, Egypt, and Baghdad, Iraq, from Dec. 21. Flights will be offered four times per week using Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline will be the sole scheduled operator on the route, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
Riyadh Air has launched daily nonstop service between Riyadh and Manila, Philippines, using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, the Saudi Arabian carrier joins Saudia, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific in serving the market, further increasing capacity between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. Manila is one of three destinations Riyadh Air is adding in September. The carrier launched service from Riyadh to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sept. 2 and is scheduled to begin 3X-weekly flights to Manchester Airport on Sept. 19.
Wizz Air will launch a weekly service between London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Hurghada, Egypt, from Jan. 11, 2027, expanding its network to the Red Sea destination. The Monday service complements the airline's existing LGW-Sharm El Sheikh route, as well as its London Luton services to Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo. Wizz Air says the new route expands travel options to Egypt for passengers seeking winter sun destinations.
Sept. 10
Shenzhen Airlines will launch 4X-weekly service between Shenzhen and Sydney from Dec. 14, becoming Sydney Airport's 55th airline. The Airbus A330-300-operated route will add about 130,000 annual seats and is expected to carry around 100,000 passengers per year. Sydney Airport says Shenzhen was its seventh-largest mainland China destination in 2025, with passenger traffic rising 16% year over year to 56,000 travelers. “China remains one of Sydney Airport's most important international markets, with Chinese nationals the airport's second-largest international traveler group up 13.9% year over year,” Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton says. “This new route will provide passengers with direct access to one of China’s most dynamic cities, as well as onward connections across Shenzhen Airlines' extensive domestic and international network across Asia and Europe.”
Jet2 has expanded its summer 2027 schedule by adding frequencies across 22 routes from nine UK bases. The expansion includes longer operating seasons on routes to Heraklion, Chania, Kalamata, Thessaloniki and Kefalonia in Greece; Dubrovnik in Croatia; Girona, Reus, Almeria and Palma de Mallorca in Spain; and Naples and Verona in Italy. The airline will also increase summer frequencies on Glasgow-Reus and Leeds Bradford-Palma de Mallorca. The additional capacity is available from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester and London Stansted, offering greater flexibility for spring and autumn travel.
EgyptAir is exploring further expansion in Europe, holding talks with London Stansted Airport (STN) on launching flights from Cairo in 2027 while confirming a new Stockholm service for the 2026-27 winter season. The airline says discussions with STN have focused on establishing direct service as part of its strategy to strengthen its UK network and meet growing demand between Egypt and the UK. Separately, EgyptAir will launch 4X-weekly Cairo-Stockholm Arlanda flights from Dec. 18, operated year-round with Airbus A321neo aircraft.
Jazeera Airways has launched service between Kuwait and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marking the LCC’s first destination in East Africa. The new route is aimed at serving Kuwait's Ethiopian community of more than 70,000 people while supporting growing tourism, trade and business links between Kuwait and Ethiopia. Separately, the airline plans to resume 2X-weekly Kuwait-Prague service from Dec. 17 and 2X-weekly Kuwait-Krakow flights from Dec. 18, becoming the sole scheduled operator on both routes, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.
Sept. 9
Fiji Airways will launch nonstop flights between Nadi and the new Western Sydney International Airport on March 19, 2027. The route will operate 3X-weekly on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays using Boeing 737-8 aircraft, adding more than 53,000 annual seats. Fiji Airways says the service complements its existing double-daily Sydney Kingsford Smith flights, increasing its Greater Sydney operation to up to 3X-daily services. The airline cited strong demand from Australia—Fiji’s largest inbound tourism market—and says the route will also serve Western Sydney’s large Fijian community while improving connections across Fiji and the South Pacific. “Australia is our largest source market, and this new direct service further strengthens connectivity, creating new opportunities for tourism, trade and business travel while making Fiji more accessible than ever,” Fiji Airways CEO Paul Scurrah says.
Lufthansa Group will restore flights to Dubai from late October as part of a broader resumption of Middle East services for the 2026-27 winter schedule. Lufthansa will restart Munich-Dubai on Oct. 25 with up to 5X-weekly flights, followed by Frankfurt-Dubai on Oct. 26 with 5X-weekly services. Swiss will resume daily Zurich-Dubai flights on Oct. 27, while Eurowings will launch daily Berlin-Dubai and 4X-weekly Stuttgart-Dubai services from Nov. 1. The group will also restore flights to Dammam, Erbil and Tehran, while increasing Frankfurt-Riyadh service to daily. Lufthansa says it will continue monitoring the regional security situation and warned schedules could change at short notice.
Wizz Air is basing a fourth aircraft at Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport, Armenia, in December, supporting three new routes and frequency increases on existing services. The carrier will launch Yerevan-Basel 3X-weekly from Dec. 18 and Yerevan-Valencia 2X-weekly from Dec. 19, followed by 2X-weekly Yerevan-Varna service from June 6, 2027. The additions will expand Wizz Air’s Yerevan network to 22 destinations. The airline will also increase Yerevan-Memmingen to 4X-weekly and Yerevan-Prague to 5X-weekly. The expansion follows plans to add a third aircraft to its Yerevan base in October, with the fourth to arrive two months later.
Azerbaijan Airlines plans to resume scheduled flights between Baku and Jeddah on Sept. 15, restoring service with four flights per week. The route will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The carrier says the service will serve leisure and business demand while also providing access to Jeddah, a key gateway for pilgrims traveling to Mecca and Medina. Separately, Azerbaijan Airlines plans to resume a 3X-weekly Baku-Astrakhan service from Sept. 30 using Embraer 190s. The carrier suspended the service in 2025.
LATAM Airlines Peru will launch nonstop flights between Cusco and Sao Paulo on March 29, 2027, marking the first direct air link between the Peruvian city and Brazil. The route will operate 4X-weekly. LATAM says Brazil accounted for 7% of international arrivals to Cusco in 2025, making it the airport's third-largest inbound market. The airline will also increase Cusco-Santiago frequencies from 7X-weekly to 10X-weekly.
Sept. 8
Aeromexico will launch service between Guadalajara and Paris Charles de Gaulle on April 13, 2027, adding its second nonstop route from Guadalajara to Europe. The Boeing 787-operated service will run three times a week, complementing the airline's daily Guadalajara-Madrid flights and expanding nonstop options from western Mexico to Europe. Aeromexico says the new route will increase its Mexico-Paris offering to 13X-weekly flights during the 2027 summer season, including existing services from Mexico City and Monterrey, representing the airline's largest-ever capacity to the French capital. The carrier said its European network will grow to seven destinations and 11 routes in summer 2027, offering more than 75 weekly flights in each direction. In August, Aviation Week reported that the SkyTeam Alliance member also plans to launch a Mexico City-Milan Malpensa route in March 2027.
Oman’s SalamAir is opening a route between Muscat and Copenhagen via Baghdad on Nov. 14, operating twice a week under fifth-freedom traffic rights between the Iraqi and Danish capitals. The new service will allow passengers to travel between Muscat and Copenhagen with a stop in Baghdad, while also enabling local traffic between Baghdad and Copenhagen. SalamAir says the route marks its ninth new destination of 2026 and expands its European network by linking Oman, Iraq and Northern Europe.
Etihad Airways will start a year-round service between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia's Red Sea International Airport on Oct. 4, expanding its Saudi network to six destinations. The route will initially operate once a week before increasing to 2X-weekly service from Oct. 25 using Airbus A320 aircraft configured with eight business-class and 150 economy seats. Etihad says the new route will improve access to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea tourism destination for travelers across its network via Abu Dhabi, while also supporting multi-destination itineraries through its Abu Dhabi stopover program. Etihad currently serves Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah and Al Qassim in Saudi Arabia.
French airline La Compagnie plans to commence nonstop all-business-class service between New York Newark and Dusseldorf, Germany, in spring 2027, introducing up to 5X-weekly flights aboard Airbus A321LR aircraft. The route will target demand from Germany's Rhine-Ruhr region, home to about 1,700 U.S. companies and one of Europe's largest economic centers. It expands La Compagnie's transatlantic network beyond Paris Orly, Nice and Milan Malpensa and will be supported by the addition of a third A321LR in 2027.
Discover Airlines is expanding its Italy network for summer 2027 with new routes from Frankfurt to Genoa and from Munich to Alghero, while increasing flights between Frankfurt and Brindisi. The leisure carrier will launch 2X-weekly Frankfurt-Genoa service on March 28 and 2X-weekly Munich-Alghero flights from June 4, both operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. Brindisi frequencies from Frankfurt will increase from 2X-weekly to 3X-weekly, bringing the airline's Italy program to up to 10X-weekly flights across Bari, Brindisi, Genoa and Alghero. The Genoa route also forms part of a partnership with Costa Cruises, which will take a fixed allocation of seats for cruise passengers.
Aegean Airlines has opened a 2X-weekly service to Rotterdam The Hague Airport from Athens. The service operates on Thursdays and Sundays using Airbus A320neo aircraft with 180 seats, providing a new nonstop link between Rotterdam and the Greek capital.
Sept. 7
Air Arabia will add a fourth daily nonstop flight between Sharjah and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi from Oct. 25, increasing service on the route to 28X-weekly flights. The additional frequency will expand the carrier's Thailand operation to a combined 49X-weekly nonstop flights from Sharjah, including its existing 21X-weekly services to Phuket. Air Arabia says the increase reflects strong demand for travel between the UAE and Thailand and will provide passengers with greater schedule flexibility while strengthening connectivity between Sharjah and Southeast Asia.
China’s Xiamen Air has commenced nonstop service between Xiamen and London Heathrow, marking Fujian Province’s first direct passenger link to the UK. The airline will operate the route three times a week using Boeing 787 aircraft, with flights departing Xiamen on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. XiamenAir says the 12-hr. service eliminates the need for stopovers and is designed to strengthen business, student and VFR travel between Fujian and the UK while expanding the carrier’s intercontinental network.
LATAM Airlines Colombia plans to expand capacity from Medellin through the end of 2026. The carrier says Medellin will account for 245,554 monthly seats, or 24% of its domestic capacity, with available seat kilometers from the city projected to grow 8% year over year. Capacity increases include 64% more seats on Medellin-Barranquilla, 63% on Medellin-San Andres and 10% on Medellin-Bogota.
Azul will open a new nonstop Brazilian domestic route between Pelotas and Sao Paulo Campinas on Oct. 26, operating twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. The service will use Embraer 195-E2 aircraft and offer more than 2,000 monthly seats across 16 flights. The new route connects Pelotas directly with Azul's main hub at Campinas, providing onward access to around 60 domestic destinations as well as the carrier's international network to the U.S., Europe and South America.
Saudi Arabia’s Flyadeal has launched a 2X-weekly nonstop service between Madinah and Karachi, expanding its Pakistan network to seven routes. Operated with Airbus A320neo aircraft, the new route makes Madinah the third Saudi city served by the LCC from Karachi, alongside Jeddah and Riyadh. “Starting with two routes just last year, we are delighted to inaugurate our seventh route to Pakistan,” COO Abdulaziz Bahri says. “This pace underscores the depth of the economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.”
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