Welcome back to Routes Recap, where we examine some key developments in new routes worldwide.
The EU-Asia trend continues
The last time we did a recap, we noticed a return in demand for routes to Asia. This trend continues to develop.
Finnair, which used to be the go-to airline to connect Europe with the Far East, has seen its network shrink since the pandemic and later with the war in Ukraine; this is because they heavily relied on Russian airspace.
Although Finnair is still subject to this restriction, according to a recent press release it has decided to relaunch some of its key Asian routes, like Shanghai in China and Osaka in Japan, starting in the summer of 2025. It will also announce that it will keep its successful seasonal flight to Nagoya, also in Japan. Osaka will be a daily flight, whereas Nagoya will be a weekly.
The Shanghai route will initially be served weekly before being upgraded to four rotations a week.
European Exapansion
AirBaltic, the multi-national carrier serving the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, has unveiled plans to expand its network within the EME region.
The expansion will encompass new routes to Hurghada (Egypt), Innsbruck (Austria), Madeira (Portugal), Rzeszow (Poland), and Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt). Moreover, the airline is set to introduce three additional destinations from Riga for the upcoming summer season, including Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Mykonos (Greece), and Stavanger (Norway). All of which will be served from the airline’s hub in Riga.
Including new sunshine destinations in the Middle East highlights the continuous recovery of the leisure market in the region and continued trust in the area despite the ongoing conflicts.
New Zealand stimulates domestic air travel.
While not a route announcement per se, Air New Zealand has recently promoted a new flight sale to help domestic and international tourists discover the country by air.
In a recent press release, the carrier announced that More than 200,000 sale seats are available from today until midnight Wednesday, 23 October, for select travel periods between January and June 2025. Some tickets will be sold for as low as 55NZD (33EUR).
Air New Zealand General Manager Domestic Scott Carr commented on the occasion saying,
“Whether it’s soaking up the sunshine in Nelson, experiencing the wildlife in Dunedin, or enjoying an extended wine weekend in Napier, there’s plenty of reasons to get those annual leave requests in for 2025.
“So don’t wait – book now and make sure there’s always a holiday on the horizon!”
Some final thoughts.
Despite regional conflicts, and the ANZ region being the most affected region by Covid after China, air travel remains in great demand, be sure to follow us on here to not miss our next routes recap.
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