Welcome to my 184th weekly routes article! It includes six mini-stories about subjectively exciting services that took off between September 16 and 22. Unusually, the US has no new or resumed services in this period (excluding the return of seasonal links). This article was written while attending Routes World in Hong Kong.
flydubai Begins 2 More European Routes
flydubai is the narrowbody partner of Emirates. On September 17, the 737-operating carrier took off from Dubai (where else?) to Chișinău, which it previously served between 2013 and 2015.
The twice-weekly service to the Moldovan capital, which mainly uses the 737-800, runs year-round. It is the second carrier on the city pair, joining FlyOne, which also operates twice-weekly.
Two days later, on September 19, flydubai began the first-ever flight from Dubai to Iasi, which is its second destination in Romania after Bucharest. It also runs twice-weekly.
As well as the local market, passengers can also connect to the wider networks of flydubai and Emirates. However, transferring to/from Emirates flights will be a bit more complicated and time-consuming, as the Chișinău and Iasi routes operate from Dubai’s Terminal 2 rather than Emirates’ Terminal 3.
Turkish Airlines Now Serves Seville & Port Sudan
On September 17, Turkish Airlines took off from Istanbul to Seville, which is Spain’s fourth most populous metro area and an important tourist destination. It has become its sixth passenger destination in the country. Flights run daily on the 737 MAX 8. As the carrier often does for first flights, the 777-300ER was used on the inaugural round-trip to accommodate the press, dignitaries, etc.
On the same day, Turkish Airlines began flying to Port Sudan, which is its 50th+ African passenger destination. Operating three times weekly on the 737-800/900, it marked the carrier’s return to Sudan. It flew to Khartoum until 2023, but the civil war meant it had to end. It competes directly with Badr Airlines to/from Port Sudan.
Tanzania Gets 1st-Ever Nigeria Service
On September 19, Air Tanzania inaugurated the first-ever flight between Dar es Salaam and Lagos. While Dar is overwhelmingly the East African nation’s most populous city, it is not its capital. Dodoma is.
The first round-trip service used the 787-8. However, thereafter, the brand-new three-times-weekly operation deploys the two-class, 181-seat 737 MAX 9. Covering 2,297 nautical miles (4,254 km) each way, it is the carrier’s new longest narrowbody flight.
TC226 leaves Dar at 20:30 and gets to Nigeria at 23:59 local time (5h 29m). Returning, TC227 departs at 01:30 and gets back at 09:00 (5h 30m). With fewer than 10,000 round-trip local passengers a year, the market is small. As such, it’ll rely on connectivity, including to Harare, Johannesburg, and Zanzibar. However, only Johannesburg has a decent number of passengers.
Take Off: Vueling Now Serves Córdoba
The Andalusian city of Córdoba has welcomed its first-ever flight from Barcelona, which is Spain’s second-most populous city. Vueling operates twice-weekly on the A320ceo. Passengers can connect across Europe.
Vueling now serves Almería, Córdoba, Granada, Jerez, Malaga, and Seville in the autonomous region. While Córdoba is Andalucia’s third-largest city, its location—not too far from the well-served Malaga and Seville—is decidedly unhelpful.
The table below shows Vueling’s departures from Andalusian airports in the examined week. When added to Binter Canarias’ offering, Córdoba only has four departures. The airport has no scheduled flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays.
|
Vueling’s Weekly Departures: September 16-22* |
Airport |
|---|---|
|
230 |
Malaga |
|
193 |
Seville |
|
43 |
Granada |
|
13 |
Jerez |
|
Five |
Almería |
|
Two |
Córdoba |
|
* Double for both ways |
Royal Air Maroc Arrives In Cape Verde
After an absence of eight years, Royal Air Maroc has returned to Cape Verde. On September 19, the carrier took off from its Casablanca hub to Sal. This means the oneworld airline now has passenger flights to 29 African nations.
The service covers 1,297 nautical miles (2,402 km) each way. It runs twice-weekly on the two-class, 96-seat E190, which is RAM’s lowest-capacity jet equipment. It only has four frames.
With just a few hundred local passengers a year, the market is almost nonexistent. As such, it’ll rely nearly completely on connections in Casablanca. As you would expect, the schedule is coordinated for this. AT597 departs from Morocco at 23:00 and AT596 returns at 07:05+1, enabling quick connections across Europe in particular.
Akasa Air Makes Phuket Debut
The market between India and Phuket has expanded enormously in recent years. Over 800,000 round-trip passengers traveled last year, which increased by 60% compared to 2023. In terms of available seats, almost 1.4 million are available in 2025, which is up by 7% year-on-year!
The latest route to begin is operated by Akasa Air, whose first Mumbai-Phuket flight began on September 20. The daily 737 MAX 8 service runs during the day in both directions. This marked the carrier’s debut in the Thai tourist destination.
It is the third carrier in the market, joining IndiGo (two times daily A320neo/A321neo) and the confusingly titled Thai VietJet Air (four-weekly A320ceo). The now-defunct Go First served it in 2023.
