New Routes for July 2026: Riyadh Air's European Blitz, A321XLR Atlantic Debuts and China's UK Return

Cover image: airliner departing a runway at sunset — photo by David Fesser, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

July 2026 is shaping up as one of the busiest months for new airline routes in years, with roughly 50 new services launching worldwide, according to Aviation Week's July network tracker. The headline acts: Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's new flag carrier, adds Malaga on 14 July, Madrid on 17 July, Manchester on 23 July and Kuala Lumpur on 30 July, barely a month after its first commercial flight. Air Canada has begun Montreal–Berlin service, the first scheduled Airbus A321XLR operation at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, as it rolls the long-range narrowbody across thinner transatlantic markets. And Asia's long-haul restoration continues: Air China returns to London Gatwick from Chengdu on 12 July, its first Gatwick service since moving to Heathrow in 2019, while China Eastern opens Shanghai–Dublin on 20 July. Add GOL's first-ever long-haul flights from Rio de Janeiro to New York, Qatar Airways' new Doha–Bogotá–Caracas link and Jazeera Airways becoming the first Gulf carrier at London Luton, and the month reads like a map of where airline confidence sits in mid-2026.

Which new routes is Riyadh Air launching in July 2026?

No airline is moving faster this month than Riyadh Air. Having launched its first long-haul service to London Heathrow on 10 June, the carrier opened bookings in late June for a rapid sequence of additions, reported by Aviation A2Z: Malaga from 14 July (three weekly, seasonal through 8 September), Madrid from 17 July (three weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays), Manchester from 23 July (three weekly) and Kuala Lumpur from 30 July, its first Southeast Asian destination, also three weekly. Dhaka follows on 7 August.

All flights operate with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners; the airline currently flies five of them with a sixth due imminently. By the end of July its on-sale network will span eight destinations, a small but deliberate step towards its stated target of more than 100 destinations by 2030. The expansion sits squarely within Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 push to make aviation and tourism new pillars of the economy.

Where is the Airbus A321XLR opening new transatlantic routes?

Air Canada launched Montreal–Berlin on 2 July, a seasonal service running three times weekly into early autumn. It is the first scheduled A321XLR operation at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, per Aviation24.be, and Germany's first scheduled long-haul service on the type. The aircraft carries 182 passengers, with 14 in business class and 168 in economy.

Berlin is one of several thin European markets, alongside Nantes, Ponta Delgada and Brussels, that Air Canada is opening or serving this summer as the extra-long-range narrowbody joins the fleet. As we reported when Air Canada set out its A321XLR transatlantic strategy, the type's economics make city pairs viable that could never fill a widebody, and July marks the point where that strategy moves from schedule filings to actual departures.

Which Asian routes are being restored this month?

The other defining theme of July is restoration, particularly between China and Europe.

• Air China: Chengdu Tianfu–London Gatwick, from 12 July. Four weekly Airbus A350-900 flights restore a link the carrier moved to Heathrow back in 2019, giving Gatwick its direct Chinese mainland service back.
• China Eastern: Shanghai Pudong–Dublin, from 20 July. Three weekly A350-900 rotations take the airline's European network to 14 destinations, and give Ireland a second direct Chinese link.
• Flydubai: Dubai–Bangkok Don Mueang, daily from 1 July. The Emirates partner adds Bangkok's secondary airport, deepening Gulf–Southeast Asia capacity just as regional demand rebuilds.

The Gulf angle matters: carriers in the region are still rebuilding networks after this year's airspace disruption, and July's additions from flydubai, Jazeera Airways and Riyadh Air show how quickly capacity is being redeployed.

What other notable routes launch in July 2026?

Beyond the headline acts, Aviation Week's tracker logs several firsts. Brazil's GOL Linhas Aéreas enters the long-haul market on 8 July with three weekly Rio de Janeiro Galeão–New York JFK flights, initially on a wet-leased Wamos Air A330-200 before its own A330-900neos arrive. Qatar Airways starts a twice-weekly Doha–Bogotá–Caracas tag route on 22 July with Boeing 777-200s, its first Venezuelan service. Kuwait's Jazeera Airways returns to the UK on 8 July with daily Kuwait–London Luton flights, becoming the first Gulf carrier to serve Luton. And in the US, Breeze Airways switched on 19 domestic routes in the first three days of the month.

What does the July route wave say about the market?

Three signals stand out. First, growth is being led by new entrants and returning players rather than blanket capacity increases from incumbents. Second, the A321XLR is doing exactly what Airbus promised: converting marginal long-haul city pairs into viable schedules, a trend that matters all the more while widebody delivery backlogs keep large aircraft scarce. Third, restored China–Europe links suggest carriers see enough demand to justify long sectors even with elevated operating costs weighing on fares across the industry.

For the trade, the practical takeaway is inventory: three-weekly 787 services and 182-seat transatlantic narrowbodies sell out differently from daily widebodies, so agents should expect tighter availability and earlier booking curves on these new city pairs.

Frequently asked questions

When does Riyadh Air start flying to Madrid and Manchester?

Madrid launches on 17 July 2026 with three weekly Boeing 787-9 flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Manchester follows on 23 July, also three times weekly, with morning departures from Manchester arriving in Riyadh in the early evening.

Is the Air Canada Montreal–Berlin route year-round?

No. It is a seasonal summer service, operating three times weekly from early July into the autumn. Air Canada plans to keep expanding its A321XLR network through 2026, so the route could return or extend in future seasons.

Can you fly direct from London Gatwick to mainland China again?

Yes. Air China restores Chengdu Tianfu–London Gatwick from 12 July 2026, initially four times weekly with Airbus A350-900s. It is the carrier's first Gatwick service since the route moved to Heathrow in 2019.

Sources

• Aviation Week — 50 New Routes Launching in July 2026
• Aviation A2Z — Riyadh Air opens bookings for three new international destinations
• Aviation24.be — Air Canada launches Berlin–Montréal flights with Germany's first scheduled A321XLR service