At 16:40 local time on January 10th, Pakistan International Airlines’ first flight from Islamabad landed at Charles de Gaulle airport in the French capital. The Pakistani carrier will provide twice-weekly services with Boeing 777-200(ER) aircraft seating 329 passengers in three classes (35 seats in Business, 54 seats in Premium Economy and 240 seats in Economy).
PIA returns to CDG following an almost five-year absence. According to our data, Paris is the airline’s first destination in Europe and the second in its network outside Asia and the Middle East, its main operating markets.
ISB – CDG
CDG – ISB
Pakistan International Airlines was able to resume flights to Europe after the EASA ban was lifted, which was imposed in June 2020 following the Airbus A320 AP-BLD crash in Karachi that resulted with 97 deaths.
As well as boosting its network, the airline plans to expand its fleet by 2025, incorporating more Airbus A320-200, ATR and Boeing 777-200(ER) planes. In accordance with its press release, at least 22 aircraft will be added to its fleet during the year.
Regarding new destinations, PIA intends to return to the United Kingdom, with scheduled services between Islamabad and Manchester.
A PIA spokesperson remarked, “With the anticipated expansion of our network and the potential resumption of flights to the UK and Europe, the airline is committed to meeting fleet requirements for its ambitious 2025 operating plan. PIA is proud to maintain notable schedule reliability and an on-time performance exceeding 90%, the highest in the country.”
Aer Lingus incorporates its first Airbus A321XLR
Aer Lingus added its first two Airbus A321-253NY(XLR) in December.
Both aircraft arrived in the Irish capital from Hamburg, new from the factory. Aer Lingus becomes the second airline to have Airbus A321XLRs in its fleet after Iberia, another company that is part of the IAG Group.
According to our database, the A321XLR EI-XLR landed in Dublin on December 18th at 14:11 local time, following a two-hour ferry flight. On the same day, at 21:11 local time, the second aircraft arrived at DUB, which has the registration EI-XLT.
The two Airbus A321XLRs are already in service, with the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada as their main operating markets. On January 10th, Aer Lingus began services between Dublin and Toronto with these jets.
Commenting Lynne Embleton, Chief Executive, Aer Lingus, said: “The arrival of our two new Airbus A321XLRs mark a significant milestone for Aer Lingus. The long-range capabilities of the XLR enable us to travel deeper into North America, offering previously unserved markets greater connectivity to Europe through our Dublin hub. Both new XLR aircraft will operate on our newly announced routes to Nashville and Indianapolis for summer 2025. Looking ahead, we’re on target to expand our XLR fleet from two to six aircraft in 2025, further strengthening our position as a market leader in North American connectivity.”
Benoît de Saint Exupéry, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, added: “Aer Lingus becomes the latest operator of the world’s newest single-aisle aircraft: the A321XLR. It will truly revolutionise long-haul travel, allowing airlines to tap into new exciting city pairings as will be demonstrated by Aer Lingus. We stand alongside Aer Lingus and will together make its growing fleet of A321XLRs a resounding success operationally and with passengers.”
Aer Lingus fleet
- Airbus A320-200: 27
- Airbus A320neo: 6
- Airbus A321neo: 8
- Airbus A321XLR: 2
- Airbus A330-200: 3
- Airbus A330-300: 10
Aer Lingus is the main operator of the Airbus A321XLR worldwide. Iberia has one A321XLR in its fleet (EC-OIL).
Cathay Pacific to restart services between Hong Kong and Rome
Beginning June 5th, the airline will resume flights to Rome Fiumicino from Hong Kong after five and a half years of suspension. Cathay will have three weekly frequencies with Airbus A350-900s configured for 280 passengers.
The company keeps growing in Europe, reaching 12 destinations on the continent. As we announced in December, Cathay Pacific will initiate other two new routes between Hong Kong and Europe, Brussels and Munich, in June and August, respectively.
Monday, Thursday and Saturday
Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “Cathay Pacific’s history in Italy stretches back close to 40 years when we first launched direct flights between Hong Kong and Rome in 1986. We know our customers have been eagerly anticipating the return of this route, and we are delighted to be returning to Italy’s marvellous capital this summer. Whether they are travelling for business, leisure or the 2025 Jubilee celebrations, we look forward to welcoming customers onboard our flights to experience our world-class service.”
Destinations
Cathay schedules to offer, at the time of publication, 96 flights per week to Europe from HKG by summer 2025.
Condor adjusts its destination network
As announced in our Latin America report, Condor will inaugurate operations between Frankfurt and Panama City starting June 11th. The airline, which recently opened bookings on this new route, will fly twice-weekly with 310-seat Airbus A330-900neo aircraft.
Condor is adjusting its network, mainly in the Americas. In accordance with its website, the airline plans to reduce its services to Canada and the United States, with the cancellation of some routes from Frankfurt, as well as its definitive cessation of services to Cuba following 35 years.
At the time of publication, these are the updates:
Frankfurt
- Holguín (HOG): service cancelled · April 27th
- Varadero (VRA): service cancelled · April 29th
- Havana (HAV): service cancelled · May 2nd
- Miami (MIA): from 3 to 4 weekly · May 2nd
- Boston (BOS): from 6 to 7 weekly · May 3rd
- Halifax (YHZ): service cancelled · May 6th
- Montego Bay (MBJ): from 2 to 1 weekly · May 7th
- Minneapolis (MSP): service cancelled · May 10th
- Phoenix (PHX): service cancelled · May 10th
- Baltimore (BWI): service cancelled · May 11th
- San Antonio (SAT): service cancelled · May 23rd
- Vancouver (YVR): from 5 to 7 weekly · June 10th
- Calgary (YYC): from 5 to 3 weekly · June 11th
- Panama City (PTY): 2 weekly · June 11th · A330neo
- Seattle (SEA): will not increase from 7 to 11 weekly during summer 2025
The suspensions to Baltimore, Halifax, Minneapolis, Phoenix and San Antonio, and reductions to Calgary and Montego Bay, are due to an optimization of its network and the search for more competitive and profitable markets. With respect to Cuba, as well as Edelweiss Air, which will stop flying in February from Zurich, is because of the delicate economic and social situation in the Caribbean country, in addition to a considerable decrease in demand.
Condor is one of the main European airlines in Cuba, offering flights to three cities from Frankfurt.
We review other highlights of the European market
The Spanish airline continues to delay the start of flights with Boeing 737 MAX 8.
Air Europa was scheduled to commence operations last year, but the first service was postponed again, this time to September 28th.
According to its website, A Coruña, Amsterdam, Brussels, Gran Canaria, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paris Orly, Rome, Tenerife North, Venice, Vigo, Zurich are the planned routes, all from/to Madrid Barajas.
Air Europa placed an order for 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in 2022.
Baku and Prague will be added to Air Montenegro’s regular schedule.
Services will run from Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital, beginning in May and June, in both cases with 116-seat Embraer 195.
Prague · May 1st
TGD – PRG
PRG – TGD
Baku · June 7th
Air Montenegro has two Embraer 195 (4O-AOA and 4O-AOB) in its fleet.
Austrian Airlines plans to increase flights on two routes between Austria and the United States for winter 2025/26. At the moment, in accordance with its website, the expansion will be on a limited schedule, being only programmed during December.
The Portuguese carrier will boost its services within Europe by summer 2025.
Ponta Delgada
- Frankfurt (FRA): increases from 2 to 3 weekly · June 1st
- Milan (MXP): increases from 2 to 3 weekly · June 2nd
- Faro (FAO): increases from 3 to 4 weekly · June 4th
At 11:24 local time on December 16th, the first Belavia Belarusian Airlines flight departed for Urumqi. The airline entered the Chinese market with this new route from the Belarusian capital.
Belavia will serve once a week on Boeing 737-800s with a capacity of 189 passengers.
Monday
Air China also operates in the China – Belarus market, offering services from Beijing and Xi’An to Minsk.
As of April 3rd, the Dhaka-based airline will increase its operations between the Bangladeshi capital and London Heathrow (conducted via Sylhet). Biman currently offers four weekly flights.
DAC – ZYL – LHR
LHR – ZYL – DAC
New flight on Thursdays, departing from Dhaka, Sylhet and London.
The Spanish carrier will have a major expansion from Gran Canaria and Tenerife, two of its main bases in Spain’s Canary Islands. Based on its website, Binter Canarias will operate with Embraer E195-E2 aircraft configured for 132 passengers.
As you will see below, the airline added three E195-E2s during the last month, bringing the total number of aircraft in its fleet to 16.
Chalair, a French airline based in Caen-Carpiquet, will add four scheduled routes from the Aéroport de Brive-Vallée de la Dordogne.
Operations will be performed using 70-seat ATR 72 aircraft between June and September.
Brussels · June 26th
Monday and Thursday
Nice · June 27th
Friday
Ajaccio · June 28th
Saturday
Kerry · June 29th
Sunday
Chalair has three ATR 42-500s and two ATR 72-500s in its fleet.
Tentative schedule for the Airbus A220-100.
The company intends to launch flights by these aircraft effective October 26th, as per the airline’s website.
Zagreb – Brussels is expected to be the first route, which would be offered 11 times per week:
ZAG – BRU
BRU – ZAG
Croatia Airlines ordered 2 Airbus A220-100s in 2023. The A220-100s will join the airline’s Airbus A220-300s, which currently with two, and it will receive a total of 13.
The Romanian carrier continues to expand its services from Bucharest, with nine new routes to be operated with Airbus A320s.
Flights will start in April.
- London (LTN): 3 weekly · April 11th
- Dublin (DUB): 3 weekly · April 12th
- Valencia (VLC): 3 weekly · April 12th
- Zaragoza (ZAZ): 2 weekly · April 12th
- Larnaca (LCA): 2 weekly · April 13th
- Turin (TRN): 2 weekly · April 13th
- Strasbourg (SXB): 2 weekly · April 14th
- Copenhagen (CPH): 2 weekly · April 15th
- Hamburg (HAM): 2 weekly · April 15th
Airbus A321LR to North America.
Icelandair confirmed its first routes from Reykjavik with these planes, which began regular services in December 2024.
At the time of publication, Newark, New York JFK, Orlando, Portland, Seattle and Toronto are part of the schedule.
- Newark (EWR): 7 weekly · April 30th
- Seattle (SEA): 21 weekly · April 30th
- New York (JFK): 7 weekly · May 19th
- Toronto (YYZ): 7 weekly · September 14th
- Portland (PDX): 4 weekly · October 26th
- Orlando (MCO): December 19th and January 3rd, 2026
The British airline will introduce the Airbus A321neo on four new services from Glasgow as of late November, based on its website.
- Prague (PRG): 2 weekly · November 27th
- Vienna (VIE): 2 weekly · November 27th
- Berlin (BER): 2 weekly · November 28th
- Krakow (KRK): 2 weekly · November 28th
Guernsey – Edinburgh, Loganair’s new route.
Starting May 24th, the company will operate once-weekly with 72-seat ATR 72-600 aircraft.
Saturday
Loganair has nine ATR 72-600s in its fleet.
LOT Polish Airlines announced its arrival in Iceland effective April 12th, for summer 2025.
The airline will fly four times a week between Warsaw and Reykjavik using 186-seat Boeing 737-800s in single class.
WAW – KEF
KEF – WAW
The low cost carrier will expand its services in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with four new routes from/to the country’s capital.
Beauvais, Girona, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Weeze will be added to Ryanair’s schedule at SJJ.
Brussels CRL, Gothenburg, Memmingen and Milan Bergamo are its current destinations.
The Greek airline inaugurates two new routes from the country’s main city and its home base.
Prague and Vienna were added to the regular schedule of SKY express in December, which will operate as follows.
On November 25th, Smartwings commenced flights with Airbus A220-300s, on the Prague – Paris Charles de Gaulle route.
PRG – CDG is the only current A220 service, but the airline plans to introduce these aircraft on the following routes during summer 2025.
From Prague · first flight
New routes between Israel and Greece.
The Israeli airline will launch flights to Heraklion and Mykonos starting in March, in both cases with Boeing 737-800s.
Transavia France keeps expanding its international operations, announcing 11 new routes for summer 2025.
Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes and Paris Orly will have these additions:
The airline will operate all routes by Boeing 737-800s except for ORY-AMS, which will be conducted with a mix of A320s and 738s.
Effective June 9th, Turkish Airlines will boost the number of weekly flights between Istanbul and Lisbon from 14 to 18. The company serves Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 182/190, 299 and 151 seats, respectively.
Currently, Turkish operates flights TK 1755/1756 and TK 1759/1760 with one daily frequency each. The airline will add flight TK 1779/1780, to be offered four times per week.
- TK 1779 (Istanbul IST – LIS Lisbon): Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
- TK 1780 (Lisbon LIS – IST Istanbul): Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
The French carrier will commence a new route between Strasbourg and Lyon, which it will serve by 19-seat Beechcraft 1900s. According to its website, TwinJet will provide 19 weekly operations.
SXB – LYS
LYS – SXB
Many new Volotea routes within Europe, which will be performed with Airbus A319 and Airbus A320 aircraft for 156 and 180 passengers, respectively.
The low cost carrier announced three new routes from Spain, to begin in late March and April.
New aircraft added by European airlines
| Aircraft | Airline | Registration | Ferry flight | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A350-1041 | Air Caraïbes | F-HAJP* | TLS-ORY | December 16th |
| Airbus A321-271NX | Wizz Air | HA-LGQ | XFW-BUD | December 16th |
| Airbus A350-941 | Finnair | OH-LWT | TLS-HEL | December 17th |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | TUI | G-TUOB | PAE-LGW | December 17th |
| Airbus A321-253NY(XLR) | Aer Lingus | EI-XLR | XFW-DUB | December 18th |
| Airbus A321-253NY(XLR) | Aer Lingus | EI-XLT | XFW-DUB | December 18th |
| Airbus A220-300 | Animawings | YR-FUN | YMX-KEF-OTP | December 18th |
| Airbus A220-100 | Bulgaria Air | LZ-VIE | YMX-SOF | December 18th |
| Airbus A320-251N | easyJet | G-UZEE | TLS-LGW | December 18th |
| Airbus A321-252NX | KLM | PH-AXD | XFW-AMS | December 19th |
| Airbus A220-300 | Croatia Airlines | 9A-CAI | YMX-CPH-ZAG | December 20th |
| Airbus A321-271NX | Turkish | TC-LPG | XFW-IST | December 20th |
| Airbus A330-941 | Virgin | G-VPIE | TLS-LHR | December 21st |
| Airbus A220-100 | ITA | EI-MVF | YMX-FCO | December 22nd |
| Airbus A321-271NX | Aegean | SX-NAP | XFW-ATH | December 23rd |
| Airbus A320-251N | easyJet | G-UZED | XFW-LGW | December 23rd |
| Airbus A330-941 | Corsair | F-HTEK | TLS-ORY | December 24th |
| Airbus A330-941 | Condor | D-ANRQ | TLS-FRA | December 27th |
| Airbus A350-941 | Lufthansa | D-AIXY | TLS-MUC | December 27th |
| Embraer E195-E2 | Binter | EC-OKB | SJK-REC-LPA | December 28th |
| Airbus A220-300 | Air France | F-HPNP | YMX-CDG | December 29th |
| Boeing 787-10 | KLM | PH-BKO | CHS-AMS | December 30th |
| Airbus A350-941 | Lufthansa | D-AIXZ | TLS-MUC | January 2nd |
| Embraer E195-E2 | Binter | EC-OJK | SJK-REC-LPA | January 4th |
| Embraer E195-E2 | Binter | EC-OLZ | SJK-REC-LPA | January 8th |
| Airbus A320-252N | Transavia | F-HXSE | TLS-ORY | January 8th |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | Norwegian | SE-RTN | BFI-CPH | January 10th |
| Airbus A320-211 | Lufthansa | D-AIQS | FRA-TEV | January 14th |
*It’s not new from the factory.
Lufthansa retired on Tuesday (14) the Airbus A320 with registration D-AIQS.
The aircraft had entered service with the German airline in March 1993, new from the factory. It operated with Lufthansa until January 13th, after almost 32 years of operations.
Other reports we have published
Cover photo: Hugo Charrúa franco – JetPhotos (Paris Roissy – Charles de Gaulle – LFPG – France)
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