Welcome to my 132nd weekly routes article! I have analyzed subjectively exciting services that began in the past week or so. As usual, multiple other example launches are listed at the bottom. Click here to see the last jam-packed edition.

This article is about choosing services that intrigue or are particularly significant, not covering them all.

SAS jets to SkyTeam’s Atlanta

Three decades after SAS was a founding member of Star Alliance, it will join SkyTeam on September 1. The start of Copenhagen to Atlanta on June 17, ahead of the peak season, clearly demonstrated this switchover.

The route is flown daily on the A330-300. The 4,000 nautical mile (7,409 km) airport pair – it really is precisely 4,000 nautical miles on a Great Circle basis – was last served by Delta in 2011. SAS will interline with Delta at its busiest hub.

The launch of Atlanta means that SAS now serves 10 North American airports with 14 routes from Copenhagen (10), Stockholm (three), and Oslo (one). There are up to 12 daily departures. Just as Atlanta signifies the shift to SkyTeam, more US/Canadian changes will materialize because of it.

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Take off: Turkish Airlines to Denver

Despite being disclosed as a future destination in 2021, Turkish Airlines did not officially announce Denver until April 2024. Barely two months later, on June 11, the first-ever flight left Türkiye for Colorado. There was little time to increase awareness and sales.

The first two roundtrip flights deployed the 777-300ER to accommodate dignitaries, journalists, and others. Initially three weekly and soon four weekly, the route is now exclusively on the A350-900.

In 2023, Denver had about 245,000 passengers who traveled to Turkish Airlines’ core geographic markets from the US: the Middle East, parts of Central and Eastern Europe, parts of Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia. Tel Aviv, Kathmandu, Johannesburg, Dubai, Delhi, and Addis Ababa were the leading origin-destinations. Turkish Airlines serves them all, but Tel Aviv remains suspended due to the war.

Istanbul becomes Denver’s longest non-stop service at 5,326 nautical miles (9,864 km). The US airport is one of 14 to see Turkish Airlines’ passenger aircraft. The airline has up to 24 daily departures to US flights in August.

TK DEN 77W

Photo: Denver International Airport

Air Canada’s four new long-haul routes

What’s better than one new long-haul route? Four, of course! Air Canada launched them between June 12 and 18, and they’re summer-seasonal. The first was Toronto-Stockholm, served twice weekly (!) on the 787-8/787-9. It is the airline’s least-served long-haul route and the only one of the quartet with another airline.

Montreal-Stockholm began on June 14 (three weekly 787-8/787-9), the last of Air Canada’s new Europe-bound routes this summer. It is the first time that this airport pair has been served. It’s intriguing that, until now, Air Canada has not served Sweden, but now it has two routes.

AC YUL-ARN

Photo: Swedavia

Then, it was the turn of Asian routes. On June 17, Toronto-Osaka returned after last being served nearly a quarter of a century ago in 2000. It is flown three weekly on the 787-8. The next day, Montreal-Seoul took off, with four weekly flights on the 787-9. Not bad for a week’s development!

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Air Transat’s first African route

On June 12, Air Transat, the Canadian leisure airline, launched Marrakech’s first-ever North American scheduled passenger service. This is also the carrier’s first African destination. Marrakech is an important and growing tourist market and the country’s fourth most populous city.

During the summer, there are two flights per week from Montreal, which reduces to one weekly flight in the winter. The route benefits from the Francophile connection and the Moroccan diaspora.

Although the 199-seat A321LR is primarily used, the 300-seat A330-200 is scheduled on Saturdays until October 19. Despite spanning 3,112 nautical miles (5,763 km), the route is only Air Transat’s 12th longest A321LR airport pair.

Marrakech will welcome United Airlines with three weekly Newark flights starting on October 24. The airline plans to use low-capacity 167-seat 767-300ERs. Given how many premium seats need to be filled, it will be interesting to see how well it performs.

YUL-marrakechcFrederiqueMenard-Aubin-648 (1)

Photo: Air Transat

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Zurich to the Arctic Circle

OK, this is not the biggest or most significant of launches. However, the celebratory photos are outstanding, and that, in its way, is sufficient for the route to be included.

SWISS leisure carrier Edelweiss has launched an A320ceo-operated service between Zurich – the only airport in Switzerland it serves – and Harstad/Narvik, with the Norwegian airport located within the Arctic Circle. The service runs on Mondays until August 26.

The 1,288 nautical mile (2,386 km) route is for outdoor leisure fun, including in the beautiful Lofoten. This is only the second time the airport pair has been served. The first time was when Helvetic operated with minimal flights in 2023.

Celebration corner

Airlines and airports often celebrate big milestones, whether a specific airline or route. The past week or so is no exception. The list comprises many celebrations, such as United marking 20 years on Newark-Edinburgh, Qatar Airways a decade at Miami, Turkish Airlines 10 years in Varna, Air Canada 30 years in Toronto, and Emirates two decades at Vienna. It’s an easy way to increase attention, improve awareness and sales, and demonstrate success.

Let’s consider Emirates in Vienna, one of 40 European destinations served by the Middle East giant’s passenger jets this summer. There’s a twice-daily service, with one on the A380 and the other on the 777-300ER. It’s no surprise that the attention-grabbing double-decker was chosen for the photos.

The Austrian capital joined its network in May 2004 on the A330-200; it feels like a lifetime ago. The first 777-300ER appeared in October 2008, mixed, at times, with the 777-200ER, 200LR, and especially the A340-500. After two one-off A380 services in May 2014 and 2016, the superjumbo was used daily from July 1, 2016. In 2023, Vienna to/from Male, Maldives, was the number one origin-destination.

EK 20 years VIE2

Photo: Vienna Airport

Then there’s…

Many other routes have started in the past week or so. Among the long list was Breeze beginning its first flights from Manchester, New Hampshire (it has routes to Charleston and Orlando, with Fort Myers beginning later this year); Avelo’s first flight to Lakeland, Florida, took off; Gulf Air started Bahrain-Rhodes; and Etihad Abu Dhabi-Antalya.

Using a wet-leased ASL 737-700, Air Saint-Pierre has resumed its summer-seasonal Saint Pierre-Paris CDG service. Austrian has started its first long-haul route on the 787-9 (Vienna-New York JFK); Virgin Australia has resumed Alice Springs service from Brisbane and Melbourne; American has reintroduced Dallas/Fort Worth-Veracruz after a decade (it is the carrier’s 28th Mexican destination); and Ethiopian now serves the brand-new airport of Nekemte in the carrier’s homeland.

Qatar Airways is back in Venice and Cathay Pacific is in Barcelona; Alliance Air has introduced Jaipur-Bikaner; Air France is in Harstad/Narvik from Paris CDG; and Flyone has inaugurated Chișinău-Prague. Wizz Air now flies to five Turkish airports from the start of Izmir flights from Bucharest and Tirana has routes from Muscat with Oman’s SalamAir and Zagreb with Croatia Airlines.

Want more?

Among many other additions is avianca on Medellin-Buenos Aires (it is the second-longest non-stop intra-South America airport pair); Hainan has resumed Shanghai-Brussels after last flying it in 2019; JetBlue now serves Tulum thanks to the launch of JFK service; Corendon serves Cologne-Bodrum; Royal Air Philippines is in Danang…

That’s all for now, folks. See you next time.

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