The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
May 1
American Airlines has resumed nonstop service between Miami and Caracas, restoring the first commercial passenger flights between the U.S. and Venezuela in seven years. The reinstated Miami-Caracas route is operated daily by Envoy Air using Embraer 175 aircraft, with a second daily flight set to launch on May 21. American began operating in Venezuela in 1987 and, before suspending service in March 2019, was the only U.S. airline serving the country after Delta Air Lines and United Airlines exited the market in 2017.
Canada’s Porter Airlines will add four new sun destinations for winter 2026-27—Aruba, San Jose, Montego Bay and Los Cabos—as part of a broader network expansion that includes its first international flights from Alberta. The airline’s winter schedule adds 15 new routes across Canada, including Toronto-Aruba from Oct. 30 (5X-weekly), Toronto-Los Cabos from Nov. 16 (3X-weekly), Toronto-Montego Bay from Nov. 23 (5X-weekly) and Toronto-San Jose from Dec. 2 (4X-weekly). Ottawa gains new flights to Aruba, Montego Bay and Los Cabos, Halifax adds Cancun and Fort Lauderdale, Hamilton adds Montego Bay, while Edmonton adds Puerto Vallarta, Phoenix, Los Cabos and Las Vegas. Calgary will also gain daily service to Phoenix from Dec. 20.
Air France will add further long-haul capacity to Asia for summer 2026 with extra flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Dakar, Tokyo Haneda and Shanghai. The airline will add 3X-weekly flights to Dakar from June 30 through Aug. 31, while Tokyo Haneda will receive one additional weekly flight from Sept. 5 through Oct. 24. Additionally, Shanghai Pudong will gain 3X-weekly additional frequencies from Sept. 11 through Oct. 14.
Volotea has launched a new summer route between Verona, Italy, and Aalborg, Denmark. The new service operates 1X-weekly on Thursdays. Aalborg is one of six new routes the airline is adding from Verona this year, alongside Comiso, Karpathos, Athens, Menorca and Malaga. It says the new Danish route strengthens direct links between northern Italy and northern Europe while also supporting inbound tourism to Verona, Lake Garda and northern Italy.
SalamAir has announced plans to open a new route to Kigali, expanding its African network with nonstop service to Rwanda from July 21, subject to regulatory approval. The new Muscat-Kigali route will operate 2X-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The carrier expects the route to support stronger business and trade ties between Oman and East Africa, while also targeting leisure demand. “Kigali is a natural addition to our growing African network, offering strong fundamentals across business and leisure travel,” says Steven Allen, CCO at SalamAir.
Air Algerie will launch nonstop service between Manchester and Algiers on June 14. The new route will operate 2X-weekly on Tuesdays and Sundays using Boeing 737 aircraft. It will be the first-ever nonstop link between Manchester and Algeria, and the only direct service to Algiers from a UK airport outside London. Air Algérie will become the fourth African carrier serving Manchester, joining Royal Air Maroc, EgyptAir and Ethiopian Airlines.
Condor has opened a new route between Frankfurt and Budapest. Flights will be 3X-daily using Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. From Frankfurt, the airline will offer onward connectivity to its long-haul network, including San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Cancún, Punta Cana, Johannesburg and Bangkok, as well as additional European connections such as Berlin, Hamburg and Paris.
April 30
Wizz Air has commenced the first scheduled nonstop service between Budapest and Ankara, adding a new link between the Hungarian and Turkish capitals. The new route operates 3X-weekly with Airbus A321neo aircraft. Ankara becomes Wizz Air’s fourth destination in Turkey from Budapest, joining Antalya, Istanbul and Izmir. Budapest Airport says the new route strengthens business and cultural ties between the countries, with more than 10,000 annual connecting passengers expected and over 30% of traffic forecast to be business-related.
ITA Airways will add three new leisure routes from Rome Fiumicino, expanding its Mediterranean network during the peak July-September travel period. The airline will launch Rome-Trapani on July 1 with daily service, followed by Rome-Alicante on July 18 and Rome-Mykonos on July 25, with both new international routes operating 2X-weekly. The carrier will also increase frequencies to Brindisi, Lampedusa, Pantelleria, Palma de Mallorca and Nice as part of its peak summer schedule. The additions build on previously announced seasonal routes from Rome to Malaga, Valencia and Marseille, all due to launch on June 1 and operate through Sept. 30.
Delta Air Lines has extended the suspension of its Atlanta-Tel Aviv service through Nov. 30. However, the airline says its New York JFK-Tel Aviv service remains scheduled to resume on Sept. 6, while the planned launch of Boston-Tel Aviv has been delayed until further notice.
LOT Polish Airlines has launched two new routes from Gdansk to Norway, adding service to Oslo and Bergen. The Gdansk-Oslo route operates 5X-weekly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Gdansk-Bergen operates 3X-weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. “These new routes from Gdansk to Oslo and Bergen bring our markets closer together and improve accessibility for inbound travel to Norway,” says Nina Julianne Jensen, of Avinor’s traffic development team.
April 29
Etihad Airways has launched a codeshare partnership with Air Cambodia. The partnership allows Etihad passengers to book itineraries from across its network to Siem Reap via Phnom Penh on a single ticket, with baggage checked through to the final destination. Air Cambodia customers will also gain access to Etihad’s Phnom Penh-Abu Dhabi service, which launched last October. In addition to Siem Reap, the agreement extends Etihad’s reach across Air Cambodia’s Vietnam network through an interline arrangement, adding onward access to Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Phu Quoc. “Cambodia is an important and growing market within our network, with increasing demand for travel to and from the destination,” says Arik De, Etihad’s chief revenue and commercial officer.
United Airlines is this week launching the first of five new Europe routes for summer 2026. Flights from New York Newark to Split start on April 30 (3X-weekly), followed by Newark-Bari from May 1 (4X-weekly), Newark-Glasgow from May 8 (daily), Reykjavik from Washington Dulles from May 21 (daily) and Santiago de Compostela from Newark from May 27 (3X-weekly). The airline says it will operate up to 210 daily flights at peak between the U.S. and 36 European destinations in summer 2026, including Greenland, with 14 routes not served by any other U.S. network carrier. United is also resuming several summer-seasonal routes launched in 2025, including Faro from May 15 (4X-weekly), Madeira from May 16 (3X-weekly), Palermo from May 22 (3X-weekly), Bilbao from May 30 (3X-weekly), Nuuk from June 6 (2X-weekly). Additionally, Ulaanbaatar from Tokyo Narita restarts from April 30 (3X-weekly).
Azores Airlines has delayed the launch of flights between Terceira and Madeira because of regulatory processing issues tied to the public service obligation framework governing the route. The new Lajes–Funchal service had been due to launch on May 7, but the start has been pushed to early June pending completion of the procedural requirements. Flights had been scheduled to operate 1X-weekly on Thursdays from May 7, increasing to 2X-weekly from June through September before returning to 1X-weekly for the rest of the year.
April 28
ITA Airways will launch seasonal nonstop service between Rome Fiumicino and Santo Domingo for the 2026-27 winter season, marking its first route to the Dominican Republic and entry into Central America. The new route will begin on Nov. 30, operating 1X-weekly on Mondays. From Dec. 14 through the end of March 2027, the service will increase to 2X-weekly with the addition of Sundays. Flight will operate with an Airbus A330neo. The move comes almost three decades after ITA Airways’ predecessor Alitalia last served the sector. Additionally, ITA Airways plans to resume flights to Libya from Sept. 3 for the first time since October 2025. Rome-Tripoli Mitiga will be 2X-weekly with A319s.
Air Transat is expanding its 2026-27 winter sun network with three new routes from Montreal to Aruba, Barbados and Los Cabos. The airline will launch Montreal-San Jose del Cabo on Dec. 10 with 1X-weekly service, followed by Montreal-Oranjestad on Dec. 12 with 1X-weekly flights and Montreal-Bridgetown on Dec. 13 with 2X-weekly service. “Demand for sun destinations remains strong, and these three new routes from Montreal allow us to meet that demand by expanding our offering,” says Sebastian Ponce, chief revenue officer at Transat.
Qatar Airways will resume daily flights to Bahrain and Kozhikode from May 1 as it continues restoring capacity across its regional network. The reinstated services to Bahrain and Kozhikode follow Qatar Airways’ recent decision to restore daily operations to Dubai and Sharjah from April 23 and to resume daily flights to Damascus from May 1.
EasyJet has confirmed five route additions to its winter 2026-27 network from Bordeaux and Hamburg. From Bordeaux, the LCC will launch three new routes from Oct. 25: Agadir (2X-weekly, Wednesdays and Sundays), Malaga (2X-weekly, Mondays and Fridays) and Gran Canaria (2X-weekly, Wednesdays and Fridays), strengthening its winter sun offering from southwest France. In Germany, easyJet will also expand its Hamburg network with new flights to Geneva and Prague. Hamburg–Geneva will relaunch on Sept. 3 with 2X-weekly service on Thursdays and Sundays, while Hamburg-Prague will launch on Oct. 26 with 2X-weekly flights on Mondays and Fridays.
Air Premia has commenced scheduled service between Seoul Incheon and Washington Dulles, expanding its North American network with its first U.S. East Coast route. The new service operates 4X-weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Washington becomes the carrier’s fifth U.S. destination after Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and New York. The route is also Air Premia’s longest by stage length and marks the first new Washington service launched by a Korean carrier in 31 years.
April 27
EasyJet plans to add nine new UK routes for winter 2026-27, expanding its network with a mix of city breaks and winter sun destinations. The schedule includes Southampton-Paris Charles de Gaulle from Oct. 25 (2X-weekly), Belfast International-Sharm El Sheikh from Oct. 25 (2X-weekly) and Rome from Oct. 26 (2X-weekly), London Luton-Ljubljana from Oct. 26 (3X-weekly), and London Southend-Budapest from Oct. 26 (2X-weekly). From its new Newcastle base, the LCC will add Fuerteventura from Oct. 25, Krakow from Oct. 26 and Reykjavik from Oct. 27, all operating 2X-weekly. Birmingham will also gain a new 2X-weekly service to Agadir from Oct. 27.
Etihad Airways will expand its U.S. network from June, increasing Chicago O’Hare to 2X-daily and Charlotte to daily service. Chicago will move from daily to 2X-daily service from June 15, operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Charlotte, launched on March 20, will increase from 4X-weekly to daily from June 15 through Sept. 8, also operated by the 787-9. Etihad said the scale-up reflects strong early demand in both local and connecting traffic.
FlyOne Armenia will launch flights between Gyumri, Armenia, and Sochi, Russia, on May 4. The new service will operate 1X-weekly, every Monday, linking Shirak International Airport with Sochi International Airport and adding a second Russian gateway from Armenia beyond Yerevan. The airline already offers daily flights on the Yerevan-Sochi route from Zvartnots International Airport.
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will commence nonstop service between Abu Dhabi and Amman Civil Airport on May 1, expanding its Jordan network with a second airport in the capital. The new route will operate 3X-weekly between Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport and Amman Civil Airport, complementing the airline’s existing daily service to Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport. With the addition of Amman Civil Airport, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will offer 10X-weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and the Jordanian capital.
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