Airline Route Launches and Cuts in 2026: Tracker

Cover image: A widebody airliner taking off from a runway at sunset — photo by David Fesser, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Airline networks in 2026 are being redrawn in two directions at once. New and returning carriers are adding routes quickly: Riyadh Air went from its first flight in June to routes across Europe, Southeast Asia and South Asia by mid-August, and the Airbus A321XLR is opening transatlantic city pairs too thin for a widebody. United, Alaska Airlines, WestJet, Korean Air and Wizz Air have all announced expansions running into 2027.

At the same time, carriers are cutting routes that do not pay. High fuel prices, older aircraft and extra transatlantic capacity have pushed Aer Lingus to drop five US routes and AirAsia X to leave Sydney. Breeze Airways has paused thin Florida routes for the September low season. Middle East airspace closures are still affecting some flights: Qantas's Perth–London service has needed a Singapore fuel stop since March.

This tracker covers each announcement, with dates, frequencies and aircraft as reported by the airlines and the trade press. Emirates' autumn A380 changes have their own page: Emirates A380 route cuts.

Last updated: 23 September 2026

New airline routes launched in July 2026

July 2026 brought roughly 50 new services worldwide, according to Aviation Week's monthly tracker. On 2 July Air Canada began a seasonal Montreal–Berlin service, three times weekly, the first scheduled A321XLR operation at Berlin Brandenburg. The 182-seat jet has 14 business and 168 economy seats, and the route is part of Air Canada's A321XLR long-haul strategy.

Services between China and Europe also came back. Air China returned to London Gatwick from Chengdu Tianfu on 12 July with four weekly A350-900 flights. This was its first Gatwick service since it moved to Heathrow in 2019. China Eastern opened Shanghai Pudong–Dublin on 20 July, three times weekly. Flydubai added daily Dubai–Bangkok Don Mueang flights from 1 July.

GOL's JFK flights were its first long-haul service and started on a wet-leased Wamos Air aircraft. Jazeera became the first Gulf carrier to serve Luton.

Riyadh Air new routes: Europe, Kuala Lumpur and South Asia

Riyadh Air, the new Saudi carrier owned by the Public Investment Fund, flew its first commercial service to London Heathrow on 10 June 2026 (see our Heathrow launch report). Dubai followed on 18 June and Cairo on 25 June. In July it added Malaga (14 July, three weekly, seasonal to 8 September), Madrid (17 July), Manchester (23 July) and Kuala Lumpur (30 July), each three times weekly.

In August the airline moved into South Asia. It started daily Riyadh–Mumbai flights on 4 August and daily Dhaka flights on 7 August. Daily Islamabad flights followed from 14 August, and Lahore began at three times weekly in mid-August. All routes use Boeing 787-9s. The airline has 39 on firm order, and each new aircraft allows another route. South Asia gives the airline a large base of point-to-point travellers: workers, Umrah and Hajj pilgrims, and people visiting family. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad have long dominated this market.

Chief executive Tony Douglas has said the airline will serve 22 destinations by March 2027 and more than 100 by 2030.

Alaska Airlines Seattle–Athens and Seattle–Paris nonstops from May 2027

On 20 August 2026 Alaska Airlines announced two new Boeing 787-9 routes from Seattle-Tacoma. Seattle–Athens starts on 12 May 2027 with three flights a week. It will be the first nonstop between the two cities and, at 6,196 miles, the longest route Alaska has flown. Seattle–Paris Charles de Gaulle follows on 25 May 2027 with up to five flights a week at the summer peak. Both routes are seasonal and run until October 2027.

Alaska will be the first oneworld carrier to fly nonstop between the US West Coast and Paris. The 787-9 has 300 seats: 34 lie-flat business suites and 266 economy seats. By summer 2027 Alaska will serve seven intercontinental destinations from Seattle: Tokyo, Seoul, London, Rome, Reykjavik, Athens and Paris. It is aiming for at least 12 by 2030. The introductory $999 return fares were on sale in the US only until 26 August 2026.

United A321XLR routes and its 2027 international expansion

Ahead of a hangar event at Newark on 25 August 2026, the trade press expected United to reveal its first A321XLR routes. Denver–Amsterdam was the leading rumour. At the event United announced ten new international cities and 13 new routes for 2027, which it called its largest international expansion. Denver's new route is a daily nonstop to Paris from 27 May 2027, not Amsterdam.

The other new cities are Okinawa from San Francisco, and Ljubljana, Olbia, Catania and Terceira from Newark, all on other aircraft types. United's XLR has about 150 seats, including 20 Polaris suites and 12 Premium Plus seats. The airline ordered 50 in December 2019 and expects to have 28 by April 2028. The XLR will first replace Boeing 757-200s on existing routes.

Korean Air returns to Melbourne after 13 years

On 19 August 2026 Korean Air confirmed seasonal Seoul Incheon–Melbourne flights on the Boeing 787-9. They run three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, from 18 December 2026 to 14 March 2027. KE409 leaves Incheon at 08:00 and lands in Melbourne at 20:30. KE410 leaves Melbourne at 22:00 and reaches Incheon at 07:35 the next day.

Korean Air last flew to Melbourne in March 2013. The restart comes the day after the airline's merger with Asiana is due to complete on 17 December 2026. Korean Air is taking over the seasonal route Asiana started in December 2023. The 787-9 has 24 Prestige suites and around 245 economy seats, with no premium economy. Melbourne joins Sydney and Brisbane, giving Korean Air three Australian gateways.

WestJet winter 2026–27 sun routes from Canada

WestJet announced five new once-weekly routes on 20 July 2026: Winnipeg–Punta Cana (28 November), Winnipeg–Belize City (14 December), Regina–Los Cabos (14 December), Calgary–Mérida (17 December) and Ottawa–Liberia, Costa Rica (20 December). Calgary–Mérida will be the only nonstop between Mérida and Western Canada. Regina–Los Cabos will be Regina's first nonstop to Los Cabos.

On 17 August WestJet said its winter capacity to Latin America and the Caribbean would grow 12 per cent, to up to 1,252 weekly flights on 88 nonstop routes. At the peak it will serve 50 sun destinations from 15 Canadian cities. The Prairies get the largest increases: Saskatoon up 77 per cent, Regina 64 per cent, Edmonton 34 per cent, Winnipeg 26 per cent and Calgary 18 per cent. The schedule came a fortnight after a flight-attendant strike in early August grounded WestJet's whole mainline operation. A tentative deal ended that strike on 3 August.

Wizz Air's Palermo base grows to 18 routes

Wizz Air opened Palermo as its 39th base on 1 August 2026 with two A321neos. A third arrived on 6 September. The airline expects 18 routes to 13 countries and more than 1.3 million seats by the end of 2026, giving it about 16 per cent of the airport's market and making it the second-largest carrier there.

About 70 per cent of the base's capacity is on six domestic routes: Rome Fiumicino (three times daily), Milan Malpensa, Bologna, Pisa, Turin and Venice. Barcelona and Prague started on 6 September, Marrakech on 7 September and Dortmund on 8 September, with Tirana due in late October. Every domestic route competes directly with Ryanair, which holds about 45 per cent of Palermo's capacity. Wizz had previously closed a Palermo base and had left the airport entirely by October 2023.

Aer Lingus US route cuts: Denver, Minneapolis and Las Vegas

Aer Lingus, owned by IAG, is dropping five transatlantic routes in 2026. Manchester–New York JFK ended on 23 February and Manchester–Orlando on 31 March, when the Manchester long-haul base closed. From Dublin, the last Denver flight is on 28 September, the last Minneapolis–St Paul flight on 24 October and the last Las Vegas flight on 3 December. Dublin–Seattle becomes summer-only.

US DOT data for the 12 months to March 2026 shows why these routes were cut. Minneapolis filled 61.8 per cent of seats, Denver 64.1 per cent and Las Vegas 71.3 per cent. The airline says rival transatlantic capacity rose 45 per cent in winter 2025/26. Aer Lingus lost €103 million in the first quarter. It plans to cut flying by about 6 per cent and put up to 500 jobs at risk.

Passengers on cancelled flights can choose a refund or re-routing under EU261. No extra compensation is due because notice was more than 14 days (see our passenger rights guide).

AirAsia X suspends Sydney–Kuala Lumpur

On 19 August 2026 AirAsia X announced it would suspend Sydney–Kuala Lumpur, the AirAsia group's only Sydney route, which it had flown since 2012. The airline cited cost pressures, softer demand and faster retirement of its older A330s. Its statement gave no final date. InsideFlyer later reported that the four-times-weekly service ends from 25 October 2026.

The aircraft will move to other Australian routes from December 2026. Perth–Denpasar rises to 35 flights a week, Melbourne–Kuala Lumpur goes back to daily, and Perth–Kuala Lumpur builds towards 14 a week. Affected passengers can take a refund within 14 days, a credit or a free date change. Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air Malaysia still fly the route nonstop. AirAsia says it is open to returning if conditions and its aircraft plans allow.

Breeze Airways pauses four Florida routes for September

Breeze Airways paused four thin Florida routes for the September low season. Fort Lauderdale–Salisbury (Maryland), Fort Lauderdale–Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Fort Myers–Albany flew their last flights on 1 September 2026. Orlando–Portsmouth (New Hampshire) followed on 4 September. All four were scheduled to resume on 2 October. Cirium data showed Orlando–Portsmouth filling 67.5 per cent of seats and Fort Myers–Albany 70.45 per cent, against a Breeze system average of 78.51 per cent.

The airline is still growing overall. Breeze scheduled 6,823 flights in September 2026, up 43.5 per cent on a year earlier, as new A220-300s arrive. Delta and JetBlue made similar seasonal Florida cuts. Charleston–Cancún is suspended for longer, until 19 December 2026.

Qantas Perth–London nonstop delayed to February 2027

In August 2026 Qantas told travel agents that the westbound QF9 Perth–London flight will keep its Singapore refuelling stop from 25 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. The nonstop is due to resume on 1 February 2027. The stop has been in place since early March 2026. Middle East airspace closures force a longer route that would otherwise have meant cutting up to 60 passengers and their bags.

During the stop the flight operates as QF209, and passengers leave the aircraft and go through security screening again at Changi. The westbound journey is more than 20 hours, against about 17 nonstop. The eastbound QF10 stays nonstop because of tailwinds. The 9,009-mile route, launched in March 2018, was the first regular nonstop between Australia and Europe. Qantas's separate Project Sunrise plan targets nonstop Sydney–London flights from October 2027, using A350-1000ULRs due for first delivery in April 2027.

Frequently asked questions

Which airlines launched new international routes in 2026?

Riyadh Air added Malaga, Madrid, Manchester and Kuala Lumpur in July 2026 and Mumbai, Dhaka, Islamabad and Lahore in August. Air Canada opened Montreal–Berlin on the A321XLR, Air China returned to London Gatwick and China Eastern launched Shanghai–Dublin. Wizz Air opened a Palermo base on 1 August 2026.

Which airline routes were cut or suspended in 2026?

Aer Lingus is ending Dublin–Denver (28 September 2026), Dublin–Minneapolis–St Paul (24 October) and Dublin–Las Vegas (3 December), after closing its Manchester transatlantic flights earlier in the year. AirAsia X is suspending Sydney–Kuala Lumpur from 25 October 2026, and Breeze Airways paused four Florida routes from early September to 2 October.

What new routes are already on sale for 2027?

Alaska Airlines flies Seattle–Athens from 12 May 2027 and Seattle–Paris from 25 May 2027. On 25 August 2026 United announced ten new international cities for 2027, including A321XLR flights from Newark to Luxembourg, Ibiza, Valencia and Marseille, Washington–Toulouse, and a daily Denver–Paris service from 27 May 2027.

When will Qantas fly Perth to London nonstop again?

Qantas plans to resume the westbound nonstop on 1 February 2027. From 25 October 2026 to 31 January 2027 QF9 keeps a Singapore refuelling stop, operating as QF209. The eastbound QF10 from London to Perth stays nonstop throughout.

Sources

• Aviation Week — 50 New Routes Launching in July 2026
• Aviation24.be — Air Canada launches Berlin–Montréal flights with Germany's first scheduled A321XLR service
• Aviation A2Z — Riyadh Air opens bookings for three new international destinations
• Aviation Week — 50 new routes launching in August 2026
• Aviation A2Z — Riyadh Air begins new 787 flights to Mumbai
• Aviation A2Z — Riyadh Air launches new flights to Islamabad
• CAPA Centre for Aviation — Riyadh Air commences Riyadh–Mumbai service
• Alaska Airlines Newsroom — Alaska Airlines announces new nonstop service to Athens and Paris
• One Mile at a Time — Alaska Airlines adds Seattle to Athens and Paris flights
• United Airlines — United Adds 10 International Cities for 2027
• View From The Wing — United Will Reveal New International Routes Tuesday
• One Mile at a Time — 150-Seat United Airbus A321XLR Joins Fleet
• AeroRoutes — Korean Air Resumes Melbourne Service From Dec 2026
• Melbourne Airport — Korean Air set to land at Melbourne Airport
• WestJet — WestJet adds five new routes for winter 2026/2027
• WestJet — WestJet's biggest sun destination schedule yet
• AirlineGeeks — WestJet, flight attendants reach tentative deal to end strike
• AirServiceOne — Wizz Air reopens Palermo base
• Aviation24.be — Wizz Air opens Palermo base, announces third A321neo and six more routes
• ch-aviation — Wizz Air reopens Palermo base after four-year absence
• Simple Flying — Why Aer Lingus has cut five US routes in 2026
• RTÉ — Aer Lingus posts half-year loss of €34m ahead of job cuts
• One Mile at a Time — Aer Lingus cancels Manchester transatlantic flights
• AirAsia Newsroom — AirAsia continues network recalibration on key Australian routes
• InsideFlyer — AirAsia suspends Kuala Lumpur to Sydney flights
• Travel Weekly — AirAsia cuts Sydney, ups Perth and Melbourne routes
• Simple Flying — Breeze Airways suspends four routes
• InsideFlyer — Breeze suspends four Florida routes in September
• Qantas Agency Connect — Adjustments to select European and domestic services
• Aerospace Global News — Qantas delays return of nonstop Perth-London flights until 2027
• Head for Points — Qantas temporarily reroutes Perth to London flights again
• Australian Frequent Flyer — Qantas diverting Perth-London flights via Singapore