New airline routes at the world's biggest airports
Every weekday we scan announcements from every one of the 534 biggest airports on Earth, verify each against the aviation trade press, and publish independent coverage of the routes that actually launch — with real network context from our airport data.
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Turkish Airlines to Link Istanbul and Chengdu Tianfu from November
Turkish Airlines will fly three weekly Boeing 787-9 rotations between Istanbul (IST) and Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) from 11 November 2026, its fourth mainland China destination and first in the western interior.
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Juneyao Airlines Launches Shanghai Pudong–Manila A320neo Service
Juneyao Airlines began twice-weekly Shanghai Pudong–Manila flights on 2 September 2026 with Airbus A320neo equipment, rising to five weekly rotations from 17 October as the carrier enters the China–Philippines market.
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SAS to Launch Nonstop Copenhagen-Mumbai A330 Service on 1 October 2026
Scandinavian Airlines will operate five weekly Airbus A330 rotations between Copenhagen Kastrup and Mumbai from 1 October 2026, restoring the only nonstop air link between Scandinavia and India.
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United Airlines Launches Daily Newark-Seoul Incheon 787-9 Service
United Airlines began daily nonstop Boeing 787-9 flights between Newark Liberty and Seoul Incheon on 4 September 2026, its second Seoul route and the only US-carrier nonstop in the New York-Seoul market.
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Etihad Airways to Launch Abu Dhabi-Calgary Boeing 787-9 Service
The Gulf carrier begins four-times-weekly Boeing 787-9 flights between AUH and YYC on 25 October 2026, the first nonstop service ever to link the Middle East and Western Canada.
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Air China Launches Three-Weekly Beijing to Bucharest A330 Service
The Star Alliance carrier began Airbus A330-200 flights between Beijing Capital and Bucharest Otopeni on 4 September 2026, establishing the only nonstop passenger link between mainland China and Romania.
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Akasa Air Opens Mumbai–Hanoi Route with 4x-Weekly Boeing 737-8
Akasa Air's seventh international destination is its first east of India, linking BOM and HAN four times weekly with 189-seat Boeing 737-8s from 4 September 2026.
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Air China Launches Beijing–Zagreb A330 Route from 4 September 2026
Air China begins three-times-weekly Airbus A330-200 flights between Beijing Capital and Zagreb on 4 September 2026, giving Croatia its only scheduled air link with China and Zagreb its longest route.
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Riyadh Air to Launch Daily Riyadh–Manila Boeing 787-9 Service
The Saudi start-up will begin daily Boeing 787-9 flights between King Khalid International and Ninoy Aquino International on 9 September 2026, its first route to the Philippines.
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Air Arabia Adds Daily Sharjah-Düsseldorf A320neo Route from December
The Sharjah-based low-cost carrier will open a daily Airbus A320neo service to Düsseldorf on 16 December 2026, its third German destination and the first nonstop link between the two airports.
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Jetstar Launches Melbourne-Colombo Boeing 787-8 Flights Three Times Weekly
The Qantas Group budget carrier began nonstop Boeing 787-8 services between Melbourne and Colombo on 25 August 2026, operating three times weekly on its first scheduled route to Sri Lanka.
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Delta to Launch Atlanta-Riyadh A350-900 Service in October 2026
Delta Air Lines will link ATL and RUH from 23 October 2026, flying daily for the first week before settling at three weekly Airbus A350-900 rotations, its first scheduled service to Saudi Arabia.
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Gulf Air to Launch Bahrain–Kuala Lumpur Boeing 787-9 Flights
Gulf Air will begin nonstop Boeing 787-9 flights between Bahrain International and Kuala Lumpur International on 29 September 2026, moving to a daily service via Singapore from 25 October.
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Flynas to Launch Twice-Weekly Medina–Brussels Service in October
The Saudi low-cost carrier will connect Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport with Brussels Airport from 5 October 2026, operating two weekly rotations on a city pair with no existing nonstop service.
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Flynas to Launch Riyadh–Kochi A320neo Service in September 2026
The Saudi low-cost carrier will link King Khalid International and Cochin International three times weekly with the Airbus A320neo from 1 September 2026, opening a city pair currently served only via Gulf hubs.
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Delta to Launch Daily Seattle–Tokyo Narita Service in March 2027
Delta Air Lines returns to Tokyo Narita after seven years with a daily A330-900neo service from its Seattle hub, adding a second Tokyo airport from SEA and a head-to-head with Alaska Airlines.
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Wizz Air to Launch Daily Berlin Brandenburg–Milan Malpensa Service
Wizz Air will open a daily Airbus A321neo rotation between BER and MXP on 14 December 2026, one of three new routes tied to a twelfth based aircraft at its Milan Malpensa base.
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Riyadh Air to Launch Riyadh–Bangkok 787-9 Service in September 2026
The Saudi start-up will fly four weekly Boeing 787-9 rotations between King Khalid International and Suvarnabhumi from 2 September 2026, marking its first destination in Southeast Asia.
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Transavia France to link Brussels and Porto from December 2026
The Air France-KLM low-cost unit will fly three weekly rotations between Brussels Airport and Porto's Sa Carneiro Airport from 14 December 2026, extending its young Belgian operation into northern Portugal.
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LOT Polish Airlines to Launch Warsaw-Hanoi 787 Route in March 2027
Three weekly Boeing 787 rotations between Warsaw Chopin and Hanoi Noi Bai begin 31 March 2027, giving LOT its second Southeast Asian destination and the only nonstop link between Poland and Vietnam.
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Riyadh Air to Launch Riyadh–Lahore Boeing 787-9 Service in August
The Saudi start-up will make Lahore its second Pakistani destination on 18 August 2026, operating three weekly Boeing 787-9 rotations alongside the daily Islamabad service launching four days earlier.
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Condor Launches Daily Frankfurt (FRA)–Tel Aviv (TLV) Service
German leisure carrier Condor began daily flights from Frankfurt to Ben Gurion International on 1 August 2026, entering a medium-haul market principally served by Lufthansa and El Al.
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Etihad Airways to Launch Daily Abu Dhabi to Tashkent Flights
Etihad Airways begins a daily Abu Dhabi to Tashkent service on 9 August 2026, backed by a new codeshare with Uzbekistan Airways, which is adding Abu Dhabi to its own network in parallel.
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Riyadh Air to Launch Twice-Daily Riyadh-Islamabad 787-9 Service
The Saudi start-up will open its first Pakistan route on 14 August 2026, linking King Khalid International and Islamabad International with two daily Boeing 787-9 rotations.
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SalamAir Launches Twice-Weekly Muscat-Kigali (MCT-KGL) Service
Oman's low-cost carrier began nonstop Muscat-Kigali flights on 21 July 2026, operating Tuesdays and Thursdays and opening the first scheduled air link between Oman and Rwanda.
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Air Cairo Launches Daily Cairo-Athens Flights from 25 July 2026
The EgyptAir-backed low-cost carrier began daily services between Cairo International and Athens on 25 July 2026, becoming the third scheduled operator on the pair alongside a new Alexandria-Athens link.
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Air Cairo Launches Alexandria-Athens Nonstop, Linking HBE and ATH
The EgyptAir subsidiary began nonstop flights between Alexandria (HBE) and Athens (ATH) on 27 July 2026, giving Egypt's second city its only scheduled EU destination alongside a daily Cairo-Athens operation.
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Air China Adds Beijing–Keflavík via Copenhagen from October 2026
Air China will operate three weekly Airbus A330-300 rotations between Beijing Capital and Keflavík via Copenhagen from 26 October 2026, its first scheduled service to Iceland and Keflavík's first link to East Asia.
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Wizz Air Launches Four-Weekly Málaga–Venice Marco Polo Service
The Budapest-based ultra-low-cost carrier began four-weekly flights between Málaga-Costa del Sol and Venice Marco Polo on 6 July 2026, adding a nonstop option on a previously hub-connected Spain–Italy leisure pair.
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American Airlines to Launch Daily Chicago–Tokyo Narita 787-9 Route
American Airlines will fly daily Boeing 787-9 services between Chicago O'Hare and Tokyo Narita from 27 March 2027, becoming the fourth carrier on the Chicago–Tokyo city pair and the only one serving Narita.
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Delta to Launch Nonstop Los Angeles-Manila Flights in March 2027
Delta Air Lines will open Los Angeles-Manila nonstops on 28 March 2027 with three weekly Airbus A350-900 rotations, moving to daily from 7 June and becoming the first US carrier on the pairing.
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Air Arabia Launches Daily Sharjah–Rome Fiumicino A320neo Service
The UAE low-cost carrier began Airbus A320neo flights between Sharjah and Rome Fiumicino on 1 July 2026, its second Italian destination and one of the longest sectors on its Sharjah network.
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Condor Launches Daily Frankfurt-Cairo Embraer E190 Service
The German leisure carrier began daily Frankfurt to Cairo flights on 26 June 2026, putting a 100-seat Embraer E190 on a four-hour intercontinental sector and adding a third operator to the city pair.
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Delta to Launch Twice-Daily Newark–Los Angeles A321neo Service
Delta Air Lines will open twice-daily Newark–Los Angeles flights on 12 April 2027, deploying the 194-seat Airbus A321neo against five incumbent carriers on the transcontinental pair.
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flydubai Launches Daily Dubai-Bangkok Don Mueang 737 MAX Service
flydubai began daily Boeing 737 MAX flights from Dubai International to Bangkok's Don Mueang on 1 July 2026, giving the domestic-dominated low-cost hub a rare nonstop Gulf link.
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Riyadh Air Launches Daily Riyadh-Dhaka 787-9 Service on 7 August
The PIF-backed start-up will connect King Khalid International and Hazrat Shahjalal International daily from 7 August 2026, its first Bangladesh route and the fourth operator on the Riyadh-Dhaka pair.
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AirAsia X to Link Kuala Lumpur and London Gatwick from 27 August
AirAsia X returns to London after 14 years, launching four weekly Airbus A330-300 services from Kuala Lumpur to Gatwick via Bahrain on 27 August 2026, rising to daily from 2 November.
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TAP Air Portugal Launches Year-Round Lisbon–Athens A320neo Service
The Star Alliance carrier began five-times-weekly Airbus A320neo flights between Lisbon and Athens on 1 July 2026, its first year-round schedule on the city pair and part of a wider summer 2026 expansion.
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Air Zimbabwe Relaunches Harare-London Gatwick Route from 22 July
Zimbabwe's flag carrier returns to London on 22 July 2026 with three weekly Airbus A330-300 flights between Harare and Gatwick, restoring the only nonstop link between Zimbabwe and Europe after a 15-year absence.
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Oman Air Resumes Muscat-Singapore Service with Boeing 737 MAX 8
The Omani flag carrier returned to Changi on 2 July 2026 after a nine-year absence, flying four weekly Boeing 737 MAX 8 rotations on its longest narrowbody sector.
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Wizz Air to Launch Vilnius-Berlin Route Three Times Weekly
Wizz Air will connect Vilnius International and Berlin Brandenburg from 26 October 2026, operating three weekly rotations and becoming the fourth carrier on the city pair.
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Shenzhen Airlines to Link Nanning and Hong Kong from 31 July
The Star Alliance carrier will fly three weekly Boeing 737-800 rotations between Nanning Wuxu and Hong Kong International from 31 July 2026, giving the Guangxi capital a direct link to Hong Kong's intercontinental hub.
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Riyadh Air to Launch Riyadh-Madrid Boeing 787-9 Flights in July
The Saudi start-up will link King Khalid International with Madrid-Barajas three times weekly from 17 July 2026, its first service to the Spanish capital and second announced Spanish destination.
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Flynas Links Riyadh and Alexandria with Three-Weekly A320 Service
Saudi low-cost carrier Flynas began direct flights between King Khalid International and Alexandria on 6 July 2026, becoming the sole nonstop operator on the city pair with three weekly Airbus A320 rotations.
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Riyadh Air to Launch Daily Riyadh–Mumbai Boeing 787-9 Flights
The Saudi start-up opens its first Indian route on 4 August 2026 with a daily Boeing 787-9 service between King Khalid International and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International. Bookings are open.
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Riyadh Air to Launch Riyadh–Kuala Lumpur Boeing 787-9 Service
Saudi Arabia's start-up carrier will link King Khalid International and Kuala Lumpur International three times weekly from 30 July 2026, deploying the Boeing 787-9 on its first Southeast Asian route.