The latest airline route news, featuring network changes, schedule alterations, codeshares and interline agreements.
April 24
LOT Polish Airlines will launch a new route from Warsaw to Marrakesh, Morocco, starting Oct. 29. The service will operate twice a week from Warsaw Chopin Airport on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the winter season. Flights will be operated using Boeing 737-8 and 737-800 aircraft. LOT says the schedule is designed to accommodate both point-to-point passengers and those connecting from domestic and regional routes. Robert Ludera, director of network and alliances at LOT, says: “Morocco welcomed a record 17.4 million tourists in 2024, an impressive 20% increase compared with the previous year. Travelers are becoming increasingly drawn to the country’s diverse attractions.”
AJet plans to open a new route connecting Ankara Esenboğa, Turkey, with Cairo. The Turkish Airlines subsidiary will operate the route three times per week from June 1. The only other route scheduled between Ankara and Egypt this summer is SunExpress’ service to Sharm El-Sheikh, which starts on June 7 and will be offered once a week using Boeing 737-800s.
JetSMART has launched a new domestic route in Argentina connecting Buenos Aires with Resistencia, the capital of Chaco province. Service between Buenos Aires Aeroparque and Resistencia International Airport will be offered five times per week using Airbus A320 aircraft. The LCC will compete on the route with Aerolineas Argentinas, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows. Aerolineas Argentinas offers three flights per day between the destinations aboard Embraer 190s.
April 23
Taiwan’s EVA Air will launch service between Taipei-Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) from Oct. 3. The route will be operated 3X-weekly with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. “EVA Air has been operating cargo service to and from DFW since 1998,” EVA President Clay Sun said. “Now we are seeing strong passenger demand for this route due to the influx of numerous companies [to the Dallas area] in recent years and strong economic and population growth.” DFW will join a roster of North American destinations served by EVA from TPE that includes Chicago O’Hare, Houston Intercontinental, Los Angeles, New York John F. Kennedy, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.
Thai AirAsia is set to open a new international route connecting Phuket and Medan, Indonesia, with four flights weekly beginning June 27. Service will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays using Airbus A320 aircraft. “Over the past year, AirAsia has been actively expanding its international network to and from Phuket, including new direct flights to India and across ASEAN,” says Tansita Akraritpirom, head of commercial for Thai AirAsia. “This Phuket-Medan route is a strategic move to tap into a fresh travel market while reinforcing our Phuket operations base.”
Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aéreas has expanded domestic service between São Paulo’s Congonhas Airport and São José do Rio Preto. Frequencies will now be 11X-weekly using Boeing 737 equipment, up from the previous daily service. “São José do Rio Preto is a market of great relevance for GOL, due to its economic strength and location in the state,” says GOL network planning manager, Bruno Balan.
Canadian carrier WestJet is adding three new domestic routes for the northern summer 2025 season. Service between Halifax and Saskatoon will run from June 28, followed by flights linking Halifax and Regina the next day. Both routes will be offered once a week. The airline is also introducing a 2X-weekly route between Winnipeg and St. John’s from July 1, as well as resuming a 4X-weekly service connecting Halifax and Vancouver. Additionally, WestJet is increasing frequencies between Halifax and Winnipeg to 10X-weekly; Halifax and Edmonton to 13X-weekly; and Calgary and Deer Lake to 3X-weekly.
Alaska Airlines is expanding its network from San Diego with three new nonstop routes. Service to Phoenix launches Aug. 20 with three daily flights operated by Boeing 737 aircraft. Beginning Oct. 4, the carrier will also offer three daily flights to both Chicago O’Hare and Denver. The Chicago route will be operated with 737s, while the Denver service will use a mix of 737s and Embraer 175 regional jets.
Vietnamese LCC Vietjet has launched two new domestic routes connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Con Dao. Both routes will be offered twice a day. “The commencement of the new routes enhances the airline’s domestic connectivity, offering travelers greater access to one of Vietnam’s most historically and spiritually significant destinations,” the carrier says in a statement.
Contour Airlines is expanding its Denver International Airport network with two new routes launching this summer. Nonstop service to Page, Arizona, begins June 25, operating twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays through Aug. 30. Service to Taos, New Mexico, will launch June 26 with three weekly flights on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays. The Taos route marks the first-ever nonstop commercial service between the northern New Mexico town and a major U.S. hub.
April 22
Alaska Airlines will drop a number of routes in August, including transcontinental service to Washington Dulles International Airport from both Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). “We’ve seen a recent decrease in demand on our routes between San Francisco-Washington Dulles and Los Angeles-Washington Dulles, potentially connected to economic uncertainty and a decrease in government-related travel,” Alaska told Aviation Week. Both routes will be discontinued from Aug. 20. The carrier noted it will continue to operate flights from both LAX and SFO to Reagan Washington National Airport. Alaska also will end service between SFO and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) from Aug. 20. “Other airlines offer a greater frequency of flights on [the SFO-ORD] route compared to our once-daily flight,” making it difficult to compete, the airline said. Alaska will also drop service between LAX and Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) in Nassau, Bahamas. The carrier started serving NAS in December 2023 from both its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) base and LAX in December 2023. “For the past year and a half, we’ve tried a variety of strategies to make the route financially successful from both Seattle and LAX,” but have not had success, the airline said. Alaska’s last LAX-NAS flight will be conducted on Aug. 17. Seasonal winter service between SEA and NAS has already ended for the year and there are no plans to resume it next winter.
BermudAir opened service between Bermuda’s Wade International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina. The service is being flown 2X-weekly with an Embraer 175 aircraft configured to carry 70 passengers. BermudAir CEO Adam Scott said the “new route strengthens ties for leisure, business and education,” pointing to fast-growing RDU’s proximity to three major research universities. RDU CEO Michael Landguth said, “thousands of travelers fly between RDU and Bermuda each year on vacation, for business opportunities and to pursue an education at our colleges and universities.” But those passengers had to connect via another airport. With nonstop service, demand between RDU and Bermuda is expected to grow, Landguth said.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) in Texas reported its two largest airlines, both based in Texas, saw notable year-over-year passenger traffic decreases at the airport in February. Passengers at AUS in February totaled 1.4 million, down 6.1% year-over-year. Lead carrier Southwest Airlines totaled 576,690 passengers at AUS for the month, down 5.6% from February 2024. Second-leading carrier American Airlines’ passengers totaled 248,882, down 24.1% year-over-year. But other carriers increased service from the Texas capital. Delta Air Lines’ passengers totaled 215,063 for the month, up 15.1%, while United Airlines passengers totaled 192,527, up 5%. In addition, Alaska Airlines passengers totaled 42,841, down 24.6%, while Frontier Airlines passengers totaled 23,133, up nearly by a factor of five from February 2024.
