The Week’s Most Notable Airline Route Launches (April 8–14, 2025)
This past week marked a significant expansion in global connectivity as airlines introduced several new routes across North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. From Aer Lingus’ arrival in Nashville to Edelweiss’ debut in the Caucasus, here are the most notable route launches that took place between April 8 and April 14, 2025.
Aer Lingus Launches Dublin–Nashville with A321XLR
ID 251551051 | Airlines © Craig Russell | Dreamstime.com
On April 12, Aer Lingus inaugurated its first-ever nonstop service between Dublin Airport (DUB) and Nashville International Airport (BNA), using its new Airbus A321XLR. Operating four times weekly, the 3,394-nautical-mile route becomes the airline’s longest-ever scheduled single-aisle service and its eighth longest U.S. route overall.
-
Flight EI77: Departs DUB 14:05, arrives BNA 17:10
-
Flight EI76: Departs BNA 18:40, arrives DUB 08:45 (+1)
With 25,000 round-trip passengers in the local market last year, the route also feeds major European cities through Dublin including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, and Edinburgh.
Arajet Makes U.S. Debut from Santo Domingo to Miami
ID 302063977 | Air © Jiawangkun | Dreamstime.com
Dominican Republic-based Arajet launched its first-ever U.S. route on April 11, flying from Santo Domingo (SDQ) to Miami International Airport (MIA) four times weekly, with plans to increase to daily service in June.
Santo Domingo–Miami saw 335,000 round-trip passengers in 2024, ranking third in U.S. traffic from the Dominican capital. Arajet joins American Airlines, Frontier, and SkyHigh on the MIA route, and complements JetBlue and Spirit’s operations from Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
Additional U.S. routes launching in Q2 2025 include:
-
Santo Domingo–San Juan (June 4)
-
Punta Cana–San Juan (June 6)
-
Punta Cana–Miami (June 13)
-
Santo Domingo–Newark (June 16)
Fiji Airways Connects Nadi and Cairns for the First Time
ID 43156571 © Maurie Hill | Dreamstime.com
On April 10, Fiji Airways inaugurated service between Nadi International Airport (NAN) and Cairns (CNS), becoming the first-ever carrier to link the two cities nonstop. The 1,818-nautical-mile route operates three times weekly using Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 737-800 aircraft.
Nadi is now connected to six Australian cities by Fiji Airways: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, and Cairns. The new route offers competitive onward connections to the U.S., including Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Discover Airlines Connects Munich and Calgary After 14-Year Hiatus
ID 331015264 © Boarding1now | Dreamstime.com
On April 12, German leisure carrier Discover Airlines launched its new Munich (MUC)–Calgary (YYC) service, reviving a nonstop link that had been absent since 2011. The airline operates the route three times weekly aboard the Airbus A330-300, with service continuing through October 22.
Calgary becomes Discover’s second Canadian destination after Halifax, and passengers will have access to Lufthansa’s Munich hub network.
BermudAir Debuts Service to Raleigh–Durham
ID 363232499 © John Pettigrew | Dreamstime.com
On April 11, BermudAir launched its first-ever flights from Bermuda (BDA) to Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU), operating twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays using Embraer E175 aircraft.
Raleigh–Durham is one of 13 U.S. and Canadian airports served by BermudAir in 2025, including new cities like Charleston (April 19), Richmond (June 7), and Montreal (June 12).
Icelandair Adds Nashville as Newest U.S. Destination
ID 322489260 © Colicaranica | Dreamstime.com
Icelandair inaugurated nonstop flights from Keflavík International Airport (KEF) to Nashville (BNA) on April 10, just days before Aer Lingus launched its Dublin–Nashville route. The service operates four times weekly with a 160-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8, the airline’s lowest-capacity aircraft, ideal for new markets.
Icelandair will serve 16 U.S. airports in 2025, with Miami set to launch October 26 aboard the A321LR.
LOT Polish Airlines Opens Warsaw–Keflavík Route
ID 240984706 © Colicaranica | Dreamstime.com
LOT Polish Airlines launched service between Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) and Keflavík (KEF) on April 12, marking its second-longest European route at 1,519 nautical miles. Flights operate year-round using the Boeing 737 MAX 8, with four weekly frequencies in summer and three in winter.
LOT now competes with Wizz Air and PLAY on the route. This marks the first time all three carriers are operating regular service between the cities.
Spirit Airlines Adds Two New Routes from Atlanta
ID 65248876 © Bradley Gross | Dreamstime.com
On April 9, Spirit Airlines introduced service from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) to:
-
Columbus, OH (CMH) – Daily
-
San Antonio, TX (SAT) – Daily
Spirit enters both markets amid reduced frequency by Southwest Airlines, creating new competition with Delta, Southwest, and soon, Frontier, which is set to become the fourth carrier on both city pairs.
SAS Returns to Madrid and Kraków
ID 139324145 © Richair | Dreamstime.com
On April 11, SAS resumed flights from Copenhagen (CPH) to Madrid (MAD) after an 11-year hiatus. The route now operates six times weekly with Airbus A320neo aircraft. SAS joins Iberia, Norwegian, and Ryanair on the route, which had 235,000 local passengers in the previous year.
One day earlier, on April 10, SAS also returned to Copenhagen–Kraków (KRK) with daily service operated by E195 and CRJ900 aircraft. It now serves five cities in Poland and competes with Ryanair and Norwegian.
Edelweiss Begins Zurich–Tbilisi Service
ID 165768315 © Boarding1now | Dreamstime.com
Edelweiss Air launched its first-ever service from Zurich (ZRH) to Tbilisi (TBS) on April 12, marking the first time in at least 20 years that the Georgian capital has had nonstop connectivity to Switzerland. The A320ceo-operated flights run twice weekly and are overnight in both directions.
With just 11,000 local passengers in 2024, the market is small but expected to grow due to direct service and competitive fares. Edelweiss benefits from feeder traffic through SWISS and its Zurich hub.
Transavia France Launches Strasbourg–Istanbul Route
ID 17243803 © Joost De Graaf | Dreamstime.com
On April 8, Transavia France became the first French airline to operate the Strasbourg (SXB)–Istanbul (IST) route, filling a gap left by Turkish Airlines, which exited the market in 2024. The route now operates weekly until June, increases to twice-weekly from July to September, then returns to weekly service.
Strasbourg joins five other French cities served by Transavia France to Istanbul: Bordeaux, Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes, and Paris Orly.
Bottom Line
From new long-haul services to underserved markets, to the re-entry of legacy carriers on intra-European routes, the second week of April saw substantial route development activity. Highlights include Aer Lingus and Icelandair both targeting Nashville, Arajet’s expansion into the U.S. market, and notable connectivity enhancements in Iceland, Poland, the Caucasus, and beyond. With the IATA summer season ramping up, airlines are clearly betting on strategic growth through route diversification and connectivity optimization.
