New airline routes announced from Gulf Air, SAS, Virgin Atlantic, and more

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New airline routes announced from Gulf Air, SAS, Virgin Atlantic, and more

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Gulf Air | Official Website

By Sky Industry News

Apr 4, 2025

Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, expanded its network with the introduction of a new route from Bahrain to London Gatwick on March 30. This makes it the third UK route for the airline, complementing its existing services to Heathrow and Manchester. This addition increases Gulf Air's frequency to a record 22 weekly flights to the UK. The flights operate using Boeing 787-9s, maintaining a schedule intended to boost capacity during peak times at Bahrain's hub.

American Airlines also made waves by launching the first U.S. carrier-operated flights between Chicago O’Hare and Madrid on March 30. The daily service utilizing Boeing 787-8 aircraft will run until October. The service enhances American's connectivity to Europe from Chicago, adding to its partnership with Iberia in the oneworld alliance.

Virgin Atlantic, the UK's second largest long-haul airline, introduced two new routes from Heathrow on March 30. The airline launched a daily service to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with Saudia and British Airways, and resumed flights to Toronto, Canada, offering daily services during the summer season and four weekly flights in the winter.

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Scandinavian Airline (SAS) returned to the Oslo to New York JFK route on March 30, after a 37-year hiatus. The service will use Airbus A321LR, designed for high-premium seating and operate seasonally during the summer.

Avianca has started its first South American route from Bogotá to Tampa on March 30, marking a significant milestone as Tampa previously had no direct flights to South America. The new service is scheduled four times a week.

In another development, two airlines commenced operations between London and Tbilisi after a five-year gap. British Airways reintroduced flights from Heathrow, and easyJet will launch twice-weekly flights from Luton beginning April 1.

Aeromexico resumed flights to Phoenix from Mexico City on March 30, re-establishing a route that had been discontinued in 2009. The 737 MAX 8 will operate this daily service, alongside American Airlines' existing flights.

KLM expanded its UK network to 18 airports with the addition of Exeter, following the recent start of flights from Ljubljana, Slovenia. KLM aims to boost connectivity with daily flights on Cityhopper aircraft.

Turkish Airlines added a new European route to North Macedonia, now serving both Skopje and Ohrid. The first flight from Istanbul to Ohrid commenced on March 27.

Qantas reintroduced its Darwin to Singapore service on March 30, marking their return to the market after 18 years. The route will be served four times a week with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

easyJet reopened its Frankfurt base on March 30, launching new international routes to Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino. The airline aims to capture more of the existing high-demand point-to-point markets.

Wizz Air began its longest-ever UK route from London Gatwick to Jeddah on March 31. Despite initial plans to use the A321XLR, the airline is using the A321neo due to delivery delays.