Airline and Airport Weekly News In Brief: Akasa Air, Lufthansa Add New Routes and More

The aviation sector is witnessing a dynamic start to the week of January 15, 2024, with several airlines announcing new routes, network changes, and strategic developments. Here’s a roundup of the latest airline route news, encompassing network adjustments, schedule modifications, codeshares, and interline agreements.

Jan. 19

• Akasa Air plans to establish a base at the under-construction Noida International Airport near Jewar, India. The carrier will offer both domestic and international flights once operational.
• Vietjet introduces a new daily route connecting Phu Quoc, Vietnam, to Taipei, Taiwan, becoming the only airline to offer nonstop flights between these cities.
• Finnair boosts its summer schedule with added flights to popular Nordic destinations, including Bodø and Trondheim in Norway, and several locations in northern Finland.
• HK Express announces a new daily route to Beijing Daxing International Airport from Hong Kong International Airport starting March 12.
• Flydubai inaugurates a route to Mombasa, Kenya, enhancing its African network to 12 destinations in 11 countries.
• Air China resumes services to Munich Airport from Shanghai after nearly four years, operating thrice weekly with Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Jan. 18

• Discover Airlines to launch a bi-weekly route from Frankfurt to Alta, Norway, focusing on international tourism and accessibility for the Finnmark region.
• PLAY, an Icelandic LCC, is set to operate a weekly summer service to Split, Croatia, from Reykjavik starting May 28.
• Akasa Air adds Ayodhya, India, as its 18th domestic destination, with daily flights from Pune via New Delhi beginning Feb. 15.
• Flynas launches new routes from Jeddah to Mumbai, India, and Asmara, Eritrea, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Pilgrims Experience Program.

Jan. 17

• Lufthansa initiates a five-times-weekly service between Frankfurt and Hyderabad, India, using Boeing 787-9 aircraft, reviving a route last operated in 2011.
• Porter Airlines begins daily service between Toronto Pearson and Los Angeles International Airport using Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
• Ryanair expands its presence at Brussels Charleroi Airport, adding six new routes and stationing two additional Boeing 737 aircraft.
• Aarhus Charter to start charter flights to Lesbos, Greece, from Aarhus, Denmark, running from June 21 to Oct. 11.
• Vietnam Airlines signs a memorandum with Sentosa Development Corporation to promote tourism between Vietnam and Singapore.

Jan. 16

• Finnair announces year-round service to Tartu, Estonia, from Helsinki, starting March 31, in support of Tartu’s 2024 European Capital of Culture status.
• easyJet expands at Naples International Airport, Italy, with an additional aircraft, facilitating three new routes to Greece and France starting June 1.
• Turkish Airlines to offer daily flights to Bari, Italy, from Istanbul starting April 1.
• IndiGo commences daily flights between Mumbai and Ayodhya, further expanding its domestic connections in India.
• Luxair adds Manchester, UK, and Brač, Croatia, to its summer 2024 European destinations, starting late March.

Jan. 15

• airBaltic and Swiss enter a codeshare partnership, with Swiss adding its code to airBaltic’s Riga-Zurich service starting Jan. 31.
• VietJet to launch a thrice-weekly domestic service between Hanoi and Dien Bien, Vietnam, from March 1, significantly reducing travel time between these localities.