Airlines across the globe are reporting rebounding passenger numbers. With travel firmly back on the front foot, they are beginning to look at widening their route networks. Here’s an overview of what’s happening on the planning runway:
Eurowings
Eurowings is planning to ramp up its winter flight schedule from October 2024. Its network will consist of more than 120 destinations to 37 countries on 344 routes.
With new route launches in 2023 including Dubai, the airline plans to operate daily flights from Berlin and four weekly flights from Stuttgart, and a new service from Cologne-Bonn Airport (CGN) three times a week.
New destinations will include Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, two weekly connections to Cairo, in Egypt, as well as new routes servicing Finland and Norway.
Vietjet
Vietjet has announced plans to increase its presence in India, scheduling direct flights between Danang with Ahmedabad from October 23. The two round-trip flights per week will complement Vietjet’s eight-route 60-flights-per-week operation. These presently cover New Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.
It also plans to increase frequencies between Ho Chi Minh City and Perth, Australia. From Oct. 27, service will rise to four times a week.
Etihad Airways
Etihad could have ten new routes, said Arik De, the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, in an exclusive interview with Skift. De said the network additions will be revealed in late November.
Pressed for details on the new destinations, De said that based on current plans, nine routes will be brand new for the airline, with only one city previously served by the company.
Jetstar
Queensland Airports and Qantas Group have announced a partnership to connect the city of Gold Coast to New Zealand.
Jetstar will operate services from Gold Coast Airport to Hamilton and Dunedin thrice weekly from June 2025. These new routes extend Gold Coast Airport’s existing links with Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown and Christchurch.
Emirates
Emirates plans to increase frequency between Dubai and Johannesburg from March 1, 2025. The airline will offer one additional daily flight, upping the service to four times daily.
“This new service reinstates the capacity we offered South Africa pre-pandemic, with 49 weekly flights, across three gateways,” Emirates Deputy President and CCO Adnan Kazim says.
Air Astana
Air Astana has unveiled a series of winter flights. It will be introducing three new services: Atyrau in western Kazakhstan to Dubai on October 26; Astana to Abu Dhabi on October 30, and from Almaty to Abu Dhabi on December 12.
Each service will be operated twice a week using, and add to the existing 20 services a week from Almaty and Astana to Dubai and six services a week from Almaty and Shymkent to Saudi Arabia.
Air France
Air France will operate flights to 73 countries this winter season. These will include new long-haul routes to Kilimanjaro, Salvador de Bahia, Manila, and Malé, and expanded services to Denver and Phoenix in the U.S.
China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines has revealed plans to once again link Adelaide, Australia, with Guangzhou province on China’s southern coast from December 12, with three flights a week. The service was ditched in March 2020 having served for four years.
Other flight routes
Air Canada is to introduce nonstop flights between Vancouver International Airport and Singapore’s Changi International Airport from April 3, while Hainan Airlines plans to grow its long-haul network from March with flights to Milan Malpensa Airport.
Bengaluru, meanwhile, will become Virgin Atlantic’s third destination in India from March, alongside New Delhi and Mumbai, with the opening of a new line from London Heathrow Airport (LHR).
