Aug. 26
Avelo Airlines is launching three new routes from Fort Myers (RSW) in Florida. The airline currently only serves the airport from its Tweed New Haven (HVN) base, but in November will add flights to Kalamazoo/Battle Creek (AZO) and Lansing (LAN) in Michigan as well as Raleigh-Durham (RDU) in North Carolina. RDU will be served three times per week from Nov. 10, while AZO and LAN will start the following day and receive two flights per week. “These routes will not only allow southwest Florida residents the opportunity to visit new destinations not currently flown from RSW but will also allow more people to visit Fort Myers and its surrounding areas and contribute to economic spending,” Avelo Airlines chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said.
Iraq-based FlyErbil plans to begin flying to Prague (PRG), the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic. A route from Erbil (EBL) in the Kurdistan region of Iraq will start on Oct. 3. Flights are scheduled to operate once a week on Mondays using Boeing 737 aircraft. OAG data shows the service will become the sole nonstop route between Iraq and the Czech Republic.
Italian airline SkyAlps is opening a scheduled service from Antwerp (ANR) in Belgium to Bolzano (BZO), the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. Flights will start on Dec. 21 and operate three times per week on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Bolzano is located in the Italian Alps and a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts.
Aug. 25
Emirates is to restore its nonstop Airbus A380 service to and from both Auckland (AKL) and Kuala Lumpur (KUL), starting from Dec. 1. The airline currently operates to the cities with a linked Boeing 777-300ER service, which makes a stop in Kuala Lumpur before continuing on to Auckland. The start of A380 flights will see both cities delinked and served with direct services to and from Dubai International (DXB). The non-stop services between Dubai and Auckland will also reclaim its title as the longest route on the Emirates network at 14,200 km (7,667 nm).
Costa Rica Green Airways has commenced its first international route. The airline will link San Jose Juan Santamaria (SJO) in Costa Rica with Bocas del Toro (BOC) in Panama. The inaugural flight was carried out using Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft.
Brazil’s GOL is to increase frequencies between Sao Paulo (GRU) and Montevideo (MVD). The route will rise from daily to 10X-weekly on Sept. 1, and to double-daily from Oct. 1. Operations will be carried out using Boeing 737-800 and 737-8 aircraft.
Aug. 24
Thai Vietjet is launching a route between Phu Quoc (PQC) and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) from Oct. 12. Service will be 4X-weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays with an approximate flight duration of 1 hr. 15 min. The LCC will also relaunch its Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)-Chiang Mai (CNX) route from Sept. 1.
Air Astana is to increase service from Almaty (ALA) to Delhi (DEL) from 4X to 6X-weekly in mid-September—one of four international destinations that will see additional frequencies over the coming months. The airline said that weekly flights to Dubai (DXB) would also rise to 19X-weekly before the end of the year but had not confirmed which routes will see an increase. Air Astana currently serves Dubai from Almaty 7X-weekly, Nur-Sultan (NQZ) 5X-weekly, and Shymkent (CIT) 2X-weekly. In addition, the carrier said its Almaty-Phuket (HKT) service would be expanded from the 3X-weekly frequencies at the present time. OAG data also shows that service from Almaty to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) is scheduled to resume in late October and operate 5X-weekly. Air Astana expects to take delivery of two more Airbus A321LR aircraft before the end of the year, bringing the total to 10, while the LCC subsidiary FlyArystan will add three more A320neos, bringing its A320neo fleet up to four and its total fleet to 14.
Delta Air Lines has brought forward the launch of its planned service between Atlanta (ATL) and Tel Aviv (TLV). Flights were originally slated to begin on May 10, 2023 but will now start on March 26. Service will be 3X-weekly. Delta previously served ATL-TLV in 2011.
Aug. 23
Eurowings has announced plans to increase service on popular business routes from September. From Dusseldorf (DUS) 10,000 additional seats will be on offer to Berlin (BER), Milan Malpensa (MXP) and Zurich (ZRH). OAG data shows that service to BER will increase from the current 51 flights per week to 99X-weekly, MXP will grow from 12X to 18X-weekly, and ZRH will expand from 11X to 18X-weekly. From Cologne/Bonn (CGN), Eurowings also plans to increase BER flights to 6X-daily, while Hamburg (HAM)-Amsterdam (AMS) will rise from 5X to 11X-weekly and HAM-MXP will grow from 5X to 8X-weekly. From Stuttgart (STR), flights to Budapest (BUD), Hamburg and Milan Malpensa will increase, with BUD being served up to 11X-weekly, HAM 34X-weekly and MXP 9X-weekly. Finally, from Berlin, the LCC’s route to Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) has been increased from 6X to 18X-weekly.
AirAsia has signed an agreement with Penang Global Tourism (PGT) to increase service to and from Malaysia's Penang International (PEN). As a group, the LCC operates 184 flights weekly via 13 routes to Penang and said further developments will be announced in line with growing demand. “Since the gradual resumption of our services to/from Penang, we have flown over 584,000 guests into the state including more than 87,000 international guests since the border reopening in April,” said Riad Asmat, CEO of AirAsia Malaysia. “As we look to further increase the connectivity to Penang, we trust that our weekly flight frequency as a group will present significant tourism opportunities especially to local industry players.”
Vistara is increasing frequencies between Mumbai (BOM) and Jeddah (JED). From October, the route will rise from three flights per week to 6X-weekly.
Aug. 22
From Nov. 15, Etihad Airways will add four weekly flights between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and New York John F Kennedy (JFK), providing a total of 11 weekly nonstop services to the US city. The new flights will be operated with a Boeing 787s, while existing daily services will continue on Airbus A350 aircraft, which has been deployed on the New York route since June. “Our New York service continues to perform strongly, and having already experienced record passenger demand this summer, Etihad is excited to be investing further in this market by building on frequency levels ahead of the peak winter travel period,” VP network planning and alliances Alex Featherstone said.
Emirates will operate a third daily service to London Gatwick (LGW) over the Oct. 15-29 period. The additional frequency will meet high demand for travel during the school mid-term break. Flights will be onboard 777 aircraft. Emirates currently offers customers nine daily flights to London, including a double daily A380 service to Gatwick, six daily flights to Heathrow (LHR) and a daily service to Stansted (STN).
China’s Hainan Airlines is resuming its Beijing Capital (PEK)-Manchester (MAN) service on Aug. 22. The route becomes the first between the north of England and China since the start of the pandemic. Flights will be weekly on Mondays using A330s, operating nonstop from Beijing to Manchester. However, the return service will operate via Dalian (DLC), where passengers quarantine for seven days, in line with Chinese regulations. Earlier this month, the UK and Chinese governments agreed Manchester-China was one of the air corridors that could resume after a 2.5-year hiatus. Pre-pandemic, there were around 100,000 people a year who travelled between Manchester and Beijing from the airport’s catchment area. Economic impact studies showed the route led to a 38% increase in Chinese visitors to the north of England.
Cyprus Airways is increasing frequencies between Larnaca (LCA) and Yerevan (EVN) in Armenia. The recently launched route will become 3X-weekly from Sept. 13. “As we continue to grow the connectivity between Cyprus and key near-by destinations, we are assisting our island socioeconomically and culturally, whilst boosting tourism demand,” CEO Paul Sies said.
American Airlines plans to resume operations between Miami (MIA) and Managua (MGA) with daily flights from Nov. 30. The airline will become the first US carrier to resume nonstop service to Nicaragua since the COVID-19 outbreak. It last served the destinations in March 2020.
TAAG Angola Airlines is increasing frequencies on three international routes from Luanda (LAD). From Oct. 2, service to Maputo (MPM) in Mozambique will become 4X-weekly, up from 3X-weekly currently, operated by 737-700 aircraft. On the same day, flights to Windhoek (WDH) in Namibia will increase from 3X to 4X-weekly. The additional frequency will be operated using Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. From Nov. 5, service to São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU) will also rise from 3X to 4X-weekly onboard 777-300s.
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