Welcome to our rolling daily coverage of new routes alongside services that are scheduled to resume.
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Feb. 21
Royal Air Maroc is launching flights between Casablanca (CMN) and Tel Aviv (TLV) from March 13. The route will initially be operated four times per week, but the airline said it expects to increase frequencies to 5X-weekly. Israel and Morocco vowed to establish full diplomatic and trade relations in December 2020 as part of a US-brokered agreement, pledging to begin direct flights and promote economic cooperation. O&D traffic between Israel and Morocco totaled 80,015 two-way passengers in 2019, according to Sabre Market Intelligence figures. Tel Aviv-Casablanca was the top city pair, accounting for 72% of traffic. Tel Aviv-Marrakech was second with a 26% share.
Latvian airline airBaltic will offer passengers flights from Riga (RIX) to Malta (MLA), Yerevan (EVN in Armenia and Baku (GYD) in Azerbaijan during the summer 2022 season. Flights to Malta will be 1X-weekly from April 30, while service to Yerevan and Baku will start a day later with each route operating 2X-weekly.
Jetstar Asia is resuming flights to four destinations from Singapore (SIN) under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangement, which allows eligible vaccinated travelers quarantine-free entry to Singapore if they meet all the VTL requirements. Service to Phuket (HKT) in Thailand will be up to 4X-weekly from March 2, while Clark (CRK) and Manila (MNL) in the Philippines will be up to 6X-weekly and 7X-weekly respectively from March 4. Flights to Perth (PER) in Australia will be up to 4X-weekly from March 11. “Key Southeast Asian cities, such as Clark and Manila, are such critical links in our expanding network, while Phuket and Perth are incredible leisure destinations, offering customers the opportunity to take a much-deserved break,” Jetstar Asia CEO Bara Pasupathi said.
Qantas has announced plans to set up a new Embraer E190 jet base at Darwin (DRW). At least four E190s will be based in Darwin to service key QantasLink routes across Australia, as well as a new international passenger service from Darwin to Dili (DIL) in East Timor. The E190 jets are being deployed on Qantas’ network as part of a three-year deal with Alliance Airlines. Qantas has also confirmed it will continue to fly its double daily direct flights from Australia to London Heathrow (LHR) via Darwin until at least June. The airline previously served London nonstop from Perth (PER) but flights have been operated from Darwin since Australia’s international borders reopened last November.
JetBlue Airways has launched service between New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Puerto Vallarta’s Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International (PVR). The service will operate four times weekly, becoming the airline’s third destination in Mexico.
British Airways is launching a new, daytime flight from Newark (EWR) to London Heathrow (LHR)–its third daily flight from Newark to London—to support the return of business travel in 2022. The additional flight, which launches on 6 June, will depart at 7.55 a.m. from Newark and at 7.10 p.m. from Heathrow. It will operate daily on a Boeing 777-200.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/297623/routes-in-brief-rolling-daily-updates-wc-feb-21/
