The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
July 18
Emirates has resumed passenger flights to Damascus, restoring direct service between Dubai and the Syrian capital for the first time in more than a decade. The airline is operating the route three times per week using a Boeing 777-200LR, with 38 business class and 264 economy seats. Service will increase to four flights per week from Aug. 2, with daily operations beginning Oct. 26. “Today marks a significant milestone as we celebrate the return of Emirates to Damascus,” says Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates’ senior vice president commercial operations. “By providing our services and connecting Damascus to the world, we are helping to reunite families, friends and communities who have long awaited easier access to their loved ones.”
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) says it plans to resume flights to Manchester in August, marking its return to the UK market after a five-year ban. The airline announced the move following the UK Air Safety Committee’s decision to lift the suspension on PIA’s approval to operate scheduled services. PIA lost access to UK airspace in 2020 after a crash investigation revealed serious issues with pilot licensing in Pakistan. PIA previously served Manchester from Islamabad and Lahore with nonstop flights.
Ireland’s Aer Lingus will launch three new winter routes from Dublin and Cork, expanding its seasonal offering to European destinations. From Dublin, the airline will fly to Turin once a week on Sundays from Dec. 21 to March 29, 2026. From Cork, weekly Saturday flights to Geneva will begin Dec. 20 and continue through March 28, while Prague will be served 2X-weekly on Thursdays and Sundays from Oct. 23 to March 26.
Volotea has extended its summer-season route between Barcelona El Prat and Región de Murcia International Airport, offering flights into winter. The airline also plans to increase frequency from two to three flights per week during the 2025-26 winter season. The LCC has scheduled nearly 40,000 seats on the route for 2025, a 17% increase compared to last year.
KLM will launch a new weekly service between Amsterdam and Kittilä in Finnish Lapland for the 2025–26 winter season. Flights will operate on Sundays from Nov. 23 to March 22, 2026, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The route provides access to popular ski resorts Levi and Ylläs.
July 17
Israir Airlines has received final approval from the U.S. Transportation Department to renew its foreign air carrier permit, allowing the Israeli carrier to offer scheduled and charter services between Israel and the U.S. As previously reported, tentative approval was given in April. Israir intends to launch up to 6X-weekly nonstop roundtrips between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport and the New York region ahead of Passover in 2026, using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The airline last served the U.S. market in 2009. The authorization enables Israir to operate flights transporting passengers, cargo and mail from points beyond Israel via Israel and intermediate stops to points in the U.S. and beyond. It also allows other charter flights under existing U.S. regulations governing foreign air carriers.
KLM will this winter expand operations at Leeds Bradford Airport, England, with the addition of a fourth-daily service from Amsterdam Schiphol. The new frequency will be offered from late October through the end of March, excluding the low-season period between Jan. 4 and Feb. 20, 2026. The move is aimed at meeting growing demand from both leisure and business travelers for more flexible and frequent international connections.
Thai AirAsia has launched a new route connecting Bangkok Don Mueang Airport with Hai Phong, Vietnam, marking its latest expansion in the Vietnamese market. The service operates four times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The carrier now serves six cities in Vietnam from the Thai capital after adding Hai Phong to its network. “Vietnam remains one of AirAsia's key strategic markets and has presented us with strong growth prospects,” Thai AirAsia CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya says. “As we continue to enhance our network, guests can look out for more travel options covering even more destinations across the region.”
July 16
Etihad Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with Greek regional airline SKY express, expanding its network to 24 Greek island destinations and three eastern Mediterranean cities via Athens. The partnership builds on the carriers’ existing interline cooperation and enhances Etihad’s connectivity beyond its daily service from Abu Dhabi to Athens. Under the latest agreement, Etihad will place its code on SKY express flights to destinations such as Corfu, Crete, Kos, Mykonos, Paros, Rhodes, Santorini and Thessaloniki.
Luxair will expand its summer 2026 network with nine additional destinations, including five new routes and four relaunches of previously served markets. The new routes include 2X-weekly service to Porto Santo (Portugal), Zakynthos and Araxos (Greece), Girona (Spain) and Helsinki (Finland). The Zakynthos–Araxos rotation will operate as a combined service twice a week. Luxair will also resume flights to four former destinations: Alicante (Spain), Tunis (Tunisia), Bilbao (Spain) and Edinburgh (Scotland). Alicante and Tunis will be served twice a week, Bilbao three times weekly and Edinburgh four times per week. Luxair plans to operate a total of 101 destinations during 2026, with 97 of them available during the summer season.
Ethiopian Airlines has launched a new passenger service between Addis Ababa and Abu Dhabi, expanding its footprint in the Gulf region. Flights will operate daily using Boeing 737-8 aircraft. The Abu Dhabi route forms part of a broader joint venture between Ethiopian and Etihad Airways, focused on developing and expanding air services between the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia. “Through our collaboration with Etihad Airways, we are creating more opportunities for trade, investment and tourism between our nations while offering our passengers expanded choice and convenience,” Ethiopian CEO Mesfin Tasew says.
FlyOne has launched a new direct service connecting Chisinau to Naples, expanding its network between Moldova and Italy. The Moldovan carrier says the route launch reflects strong demand for additional connectivity between the two countries. The service is aimed at leisure travelers and the large Moldovan community living in Italy.
Qatar Airways will resume flights to Aleppo, Syria, from Aug. 10. The carrier will offer three weekly flights between Doha and Aleppo initially, increasing to four from Sept. 1. Flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays, with an additional Thursday frequency starting in September. Qatar Airways previously served Aleppo until 2011 and returned to Syria earlier this year with the resumption of Damascus flights.
July 15
Air Canada and ITA Airways have launched a new codeshare agreement aimed at enhancing connectivity between Canada, Italy and several onward destinations. The agreement, effective for travel starting July 21, allows each carrier to place its flight code on 10 routes beyond their respective hubs in Toronto and Rome. For Air Canada passengers, this includes onward connections from Rome to five cities in Italy—Bari, Catania, Florence, Lamezia Terme and Palermo—as well as Algiers, Cairo, Tirana, Tunis and Tel Aviv, which is currently suspended. ITA Airways will codeshare on Air Canada flights from Toronto to Canadian cities including Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, St. John's and Vancouver, as well as select U.S. destinations. The move lays the groundwork for deeper cooperation as ITA Airways prepares to join Star Alliance in early 2026.
Saudi Arabian LCC flynas plans to launch a new route to Kosovo during the fourth quarter of the year. Flights between Jeddah and Pristina are scheduled to commence on Oct. 1, running three times per week. The airline will become the sole operator of nonstop flights between the destinations.
T’way Air has commenced its first-ever service to Canada with the start of flights between Seoul Incheon and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The new route will be operated four times per week with Airbus A330-300 aircraft. “This new service to South Korea is about more than travel convenience—it represents a strategic investment in connectivity, trade and Canada's place in the global economy,” says Tamara Vrooman, president and CEO at YVR. “YVR is excited to further expand our ability to connect Canada with the world, to support industry and families, attract investment and to further build resilience in supply chains.”
July 14
Delta Air Lines will launch its first-ever nonstop service from Salt Lake City to South America on Dec. 4, with seasonal daily flights to Lima, Peru, operating through Jan. 25, 2026. Delta says the service addresses strong demand from across the Mountain West, offering one-stop access to Peru from cities including Seattle, Denver and San Francisco. The route also expands Delta’s partnership with LATAM, allowing for onward connections across the continent. Flights will operate on Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.
Volotea will begin operating flights from Vitoria Airport for the first time starting Nov. 1, 2025, launching new routes to Madrid and Barcelona with four weekly frequencies each. The Spanish carrier won a public tender to promote connectivity at the Basque airport for one year, with the possibility of a two-year extension. The additions bring Volotea’s total number of routes from the Basque Country to 28. The airline currently has one of its two Spanish bases in Bilbao, where it operates 22 domestic and international routes, and also offers four routes from San Sebastián.
Turkish Airlines and South African regional carrier Airlink have signed a codeshare agreement set to begin Aug. 1. The deal allows Turkish Airlines to place its TK code on several Airlink-operated domestic and regional flights, enabling connections from the Star Alliance member’s services to Cape Town and Johannesburg. “We believe that this partnership will not only bring benefits to both carriers from a commercial perspective, but also improve the cultural and tourism relations between the two countries,” says Levent Konukcu, Turkish Airlines’ chief investment and strategy officer.
Vietnamese LCC Vietjet will commence a new nonstop service between Da Nang and Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26. The daily route expands the airline’s Southeast Asia network and marks its third direct link between Vietnam and Malaysia. Three other carriers—AirAsia, Batik Air Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines—also operate the route, according to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser.
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