Emirates has announced the launch of flights between Dubai and Helsinki, its 41st route to Europe, which will be operated with Airbus A350-900 aircraft configured for 298 or 312 passengers starting October 1st. The airline will provide daily service to the Finnish capital, becoming the second operator in the Middle East-Finland market.

Helsinki will be Emirates’ fourth destination in the Nordic region, joining Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm, currently served 7 times a week each from Dubai. In addition, Vantaa International Airport will become the fifth route for Emirates’ Airbus A350s in Europe, all of which operate from/to Dubai.

Daily

• EK 167  Dubai DXB 08:45 · 14:55 HEL Helsinki
• EK 168  Helsinki HEL 16:45 · 00:20+1 DXB Dubai

Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Birmingham, Bologna, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Istanbul, Larnaca, Lisbon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Stansted, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Newcastle, Nice, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, and Zurich are Emirates’ current destinations in Europe, performed by Airbus A350, Boeing 777, or Airbus A380 aircraft.

As for destinations served by the A380, according to our database, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Istanbul, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Nice, Paris, Prague, Rome, Vienna, and Zurich comprise the list.

American, Delta, and United

The three major US airlines have unveiled new domestic routes, to be operated by narrow-body aircraft.

In accordance to their websites, these will be the new additions for each of them:

American

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Cleveland (CLE): 7 weekly · April 7th · Boeing 737-800
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Washington D.C. (IAD): 7 weekly · April 7th · Boeing 737-800
• Chicago (ORD) – Allentown (ABE): 14 weekly · May 21st · Embraer 170
• Chicago (ORD) – Columbia (CAE): 14 weekly · May 21st · Embraer 170
• Phoenix (PHX) – Springfield (SGF): 1 weekly · May 23rd · Embraer 175

Delta

• Detroit (DTW) – Panama City (ECP): 1 weekly · June 13th · Boeing 717

United

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Columbus (CMH): 7 weekly · March 29th · Boeing 737-800
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Pittsburgh (PIT): 7 weekly · March 29th · Boeing 737 MAX 9
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Kansas City (MCI): 7 weekly · April 6th · Embraer 175
• Denver (DEN) – Albany (ALB): 7 weekly · April 30th · Boeing 737-800
• Houston (IAH) – Windsor Locks (BDL): 7 weekly · May 21st · Boeing 737-800
• Chicago (ORD) – Cody (COD): 1 weekly · May 22nd · Embraer 175
• Denver (DEN) – Chattanooga (CHA): 1 weekly · May 23rd · Embraer 175
• Houston (IAH) – Burlington (BTV): 1 weekly · May 23rd · Embraer 175
• Houston (IAH) – Spokane (GEG): 1 weekly · May 23rd · Airbus A319-100
• Denver (DEN) – Bangor (BGR): 1 weekly · June 27th · Boeing 737-800
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Portland (PWM): 1 weekly · June 27th · Boeing 737 MAX 8
• San Francisco (SFO) – Portland (PWM): 1 weekly · June 27th · Boeing 737 MAX 8

Central Mountain Air

On January 12th, Canadian airline Central Mountain Air, which has a fleet of Beechcraft 1900D, Dash 8-100s, Dash 8-300s, and Dash 8 Q-400s, launched a new and extensive route in Canada, covering approximately 1,500 kilometers and exceeding 8 hours of flight time.

As stated on its website, the airline will operate five weekly flights under the following schedule:

Daily except Friday and Saturday

• 9M 301  Montreal YUL 09:15 · 10:05 YQB Quebec
• 9M 301  Quebec YQB 10:35 · 12:05 YZV Sept-Iles
• 9M 301  Sept-Iles YZV 12:40 · 13:30 YNA Natashquan
• 9M 301  Natashquan YNA 14:00 · 15:20 ZGS La Romaine
• 9M 301  La Romaine ZGS 15:50 · 16:10 YHR Chevery
• 9M 301  Chevery YHR 16:40 · 17:00 YIF Saint-Augustin
• 9M 301  Saint-Augustin YIF 17:30 · 17:50 YBX Blanc-Sablon

Daily except Saturday and Sunday

• 9M 302  Blanc-Sablon YBX 08:30 · 08:50 YIF Saint-Augustin
• 9M 302  Saint-Augustin YIF 09:20 · 09:40 YHR Chevery
• 9M 302  Chevery YHR 10:10 · 10:30 ZGS La Romaine
• 9M 302  La Romaine ZGS 11:00 · 10:20 YNA Natashquan
• 9M 302  Natashquan YNA 10:50 · 11:40 YZV Sept-Iles
• 9M 302  Sept-Iles YZV 12:10 · 13:40 YQB Quebec City
• 9M 302  Quebec City YQB 14:10 · 15:00 YUL Montreal

Local time.

LATAM

The group’s Colombian subsidiary will inaugurate a new domestic route in the country, scheduled to begin on March 30th. LATAM Colombia announced it will operate with Airbus A320 aircraft configured for 174 passengers.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

• LA 4380  San Andres Island ADZ 07:15 · 08:40 BAQ Barranquilla
• LA 4381  Barranquilla BAQ 19:21 · 20:46 ADZ San Andres Island

Both cities are part of LATAM Colombia’s current schedule, with Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, and Medellín serving as routes to/from San Andrés Island, and Bogotá and Medellín as connections from/to Barranquilla.

Aerolíneas Argentinas

Due to the World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico starting on June 11th, Aerolíneas Argentinas will initiate a second route to Miami from Argentina and will operate charter flights from Buenos Aires to Dallas and Kansas City, all with 265-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft in two classes.

Effective June 5th, after a decade, the airline will resume flights between Córdoba and Miami, which will be conducted twice-weekly year-round, not just during the World Cup. The last services were in June 2016, using 292-seat Airbus A340-300 aircraft.

Monday and Friday

• AR 1311  Miami MIA 02:00 · 11:10 COR Córdoba
• AR 1310  Córdoba COR 15:00 · 23:00 MIA Miami

Also in June, Aerolíneas Argentinas will operate the following charter flights to/from Kansas City and Dallas Fort Worth.

Kansas City

June 14th

• AR 1900  Buenos Aires EZE 22:40 · 08:30+1 MCI Kansas City

June 15th

• AR 1902  Buenos Aires EZE 22:40 · 08:30+1 MCI Kansas City

17th June

• AR 1901  Kansas City MCI 04:35 · 17:55 EZE Buenos Aires
• AR 1903  Kansas City MCI 07:00 · 20:20 EZE Buenos Aires

Dallas

June 20th

• AR 1904  Buenos Aires EZE 23:45 · 09:15+1 DFW Dallas

June 21st

• AR 1906  Buenos Aires EZE 19:30 · 05:00+1 DFW Dallas

22nd June

• AR 1905  Dallas DFW 21:00 · 10:00+1 EZE Buenos Aires

June 23rd

• AR 1907  Dallas DFW 07:00 · 20:00 EZE Buenos Aires

June 25th

• AR 1908  Buenos Aires EZE 23:30 · 09:00+1 DFW Dallas

26th June

• AR 1910  Buenos Aires EZE 21:45 · 07:15+1 DFW Dallas

June 28th

• AR 1909  Dallas DFW 05:00 · 18:00 EZE Buenos Aires
• AR 1911  Dallas DFW 07:00 · 20:00 EZE Buenos Aires

WestJet

As of November 8th, WestJet will launch flights between Canada and Brazil, a historic milestone for the airline as well as for São Paulo, which will have a connection to Calgary, WestJet’s hub, for the first time.

The flights will be operated three times a week with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft configured for 320 passengers. Guarulhos Airport will be the company’s second destination in South America, after Isla San Andrés (San Andres Island), a Colombian island.

Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday

• WS 54  Calgary YYC 08:20 · 12:55 GRU São Paulo
• WS 55  São Paulo GRU 18:10 · 07:45+1 YYC Calgary (Mon/Wed/Fri)

WestJet will be the third airline to operate between Canada and Brazil, following Air Canada and Air Transat.

British Airways

The British carrier has confirmed the resumption of its London Heathrow-Orlando route, last offered in 2022. According to the press release, flights between the two airports will resume on July 21st and will run until the end of August with 272-seat Boeing 777-200(ER) aircraft.

Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

• BA 205  London LHR 08:20 · 12:55 MCO Orlando
• BA 204  Orlando MCO 18:10 · 07:45+1 LHR London

British Airways currently serves a daily flight between London Gatwick and Orlando with the same airplanes.

Edelweiss

For summer 2026, Edelweiss Air has announced the opening of two new routes from Zurich within Europe, which it will serve by Airbus A320-200 aircraft.

• Glasgow (GLA): 2 weekly · May 29th
• Kefalonia (EFL): 2 weekly · June 6th

Lygg

With Pilatus PC-12/47E NG aircraft, Lygg, a Finnish airline focused on private flights, will begin service between Groningen and Norwich on March 4th. These operations will be carried out every two weeks, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as stated on its website.

Wednesday and Thursday (bi-weekly)

• Groningen GRQ 08:15 · 08:45 NWI Norwich
• Norwich NWI 14:30 · 17:00 GRQ Groningen

Lygg has a “connection hub” in Groningen, allowing connections between Scandinavia and the United Kingdom via Groningen Eelde Airport.

Ethiopian

Africa’s leading airline continues to expand its schedule in Europe, with the launch of a new route between Ethiopia and France starting from July, in time for the 2026 summer season.

These flights, which are already on sale through Ethiopian’s website, will be operated three times weekly using 348-seat Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

• ET 738  Addis Ababa ADD 00:10 · 06:30 GVA Geneva
• ET 738  Geneva GVA 07:30 · 08:15 LYS Lyon

• ET 739  Lyon LYS 19:20 · 20:05 GVA Geneva
• ET 739  Geneva GVA 21:05 · 04:55+1 ADD Addis Ababa

Ethiopian Airlines operates seven flights per week between Addis Ababa and Geneva with the same aircraft, and three continue to Manchester.

Norwegian

Norwegian to Beirut.

The Norwegian airline will begin service from Stockholm Arlanda on April 3rd, operating Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a capacity for 189 passengers in single class.

Friday

• D8 4625  Stockholm ARN 14:40 · 20:05 BEY Beirut
• D8 4626  Beirut BEY 21:00 · 00:45+1 ARN Stockholm

The capital of Lebanon will be Norwegian’s first destination in the Middle East.

China Eastern

Hefei – Kuala Lumpur, China Eastern Airlines’ new route.

The airline will launch another connection in the China-Malaysia market, which will operate three times per week using 158-seat Airbus A320neo aircraft.

Kuala Lumpur

• Beijing (PKX): 7 weekly · Airbus A320neo
• Hangzhou (HGH): 7 weekly · Airbus A320neo
• Hefei (HFE): 3 weekly · Airbus A320neo · March 28th
• Kunming (KMG): 13 weekly · A320neo and 737-800
• Nanjing (NKG): 7 weekly · Airbus A320neo
• Wuhan (WUH): 3 weekly · Boeing 737-800

China Eastern Airlines has an extensive network within China from Hefei, with more than 30 routes, as well as flights to Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore.

Qantas

From March 3rd, QantasLink will initiate flights between Adelaide and Brisbane with Airbus A220-300 aircraft, thus bringing these aircraft to South Australia for the first time.

The Airbus A220-300s, configured for 139 passengers in two classes and featuring onboard Wi-Fi, will gradually replace the Embraer 190s currently operating this service.

Qantas has 11 Airbus A220s in its fleet, all brand new from the factory, and plans to add another four this year.

Gulf Air

Málaga returns to Gulf Air’s route network in June.

The Bahrain-based airline will resume flights to the Spanish city on June 17th, offering twice-weekly services with Airbus A321neo aircraft with a capacity for 192 passengers.

Wednesday and Friday

• GF 21  Bahrain BAH 23:05 · 05:35+1 AGP Málaga
• GF 20  Málaga AGP 13:40 · 21:55 BAH Bahrain (Thu/Sat)

Until September 10th, 2024, Gulf Air had provided flights on the Bahrain – Málaga – Casablanca route and vice versa using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. From September 12th to the 28th of that month, it operated flights on the Bahrain – Málaga route and vice versa with Airbus A321s.

TAP

Beginning on October 25th, the Portuguese flag carrier will open its flights between Porto and Tel Aviv, which it will operate with 174-seat Airbus A320neo aircraft during Winter 2026/27.

TAP will fly four times weekly, making it its first and only route in the Portugal-Israel market, to be offered with the following schedule:

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday

• TP 1607  Porto OPO 19:05 · 02:30+1 TLV Tel Aviv
• TP 1608  Tel Aviv TLV 04:15 · 08:25 OPO Porto (Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat)

Sun d’Or

The Israeli airline plans to launch a new route between Tel Aviv and Europe starting May 3rd. In accordance with its website, Sun d’Or expects to fly to Varna (Bulgaria) by Boeing 737-800 aircraft twice a week.

Thursday and Sunday

• LY 5155  Tel Aviv TLV 06:30 · 09:00 VAR Varna
• LY 5156  Varna VAR 10:05 · 12:30 TLV Tel Aviv

Air Cairo

Cairo Capital International Airport will be added to Air Cairo’s schedule as of February 1st, its second airport in the Egyptian capital.

As per our database, Cairo Capital – Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, will be its first route from this new airport, which began operations in 2020. Since then, it has had a few commercial flights, the last ones being operated by Smartwings from Europe (Bratislava and Prague) with seasonal charter flights. The airport has two runways, 01L/19R and 01R/19L, each 3,650 meters long.

Air Cairo will perform five weekly flights between Cairo Capital and Jeddah, and it currently serves 12 flights per week on the Cairo (CAI) – Jeddah route.

New aircraft added during January

Cover photo: © Eros Picari – JetPhotos