This Week’s Most Notable New Airline Routes: Oct 21 – Oct 27
When northern carriers flipped to the IATA winter schedule on October 26, the usual wave of adds and resumptions hit the board. But this week was better than average: we saw a U.S. legacy push into Morocco, United rebuild long-haul Asia out of Los Angeles (LAX), Icelandair stretch the A321LR to Florida, and London Heathrow (LHR) welcome three long-haul newcomers in a single day — something you almost never see at a slot-locked hub.
Below are seven long-haul launches that matter — either because of the aircraft involved, the network logic behind them, or the markets they’re targeting.
ID 183833657 | American © Bjorn Wylezich | Dreamstime.com
Delta Air Lines Opens Atlanta (ATL) – Marrakech (RAK)
Delta has launched service from its megahub in Atlanta (ATL) to Marrakech (RAK), operated by the Boeing 767-400ER in a four-cabin layout. It’s starting 3x weekly, with a plan to go daily around the Christmas peak.
Why this is interesting: the local market is tiny — barely a few thousand annual passengers — so this is clearly a hub-fed play. Delta can pull traffic from Boston (BOS), New York JFK (JFK), Washington Dulles (IAD), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), and Florida into one bank at Atlanta (ATL) and send it to Marrakech (RAK) on a single widebody. Marrakech has also become far more visible to North American carriers in the past 18 months, which usually means there are incentives and risk-sharing behind the scenes.
Aircraft: Boeing 767-400ER
Frequency: 3x weekly, daily in peak
Target traffic: U.S. leisure + tour operator + U.S.–Morocco VFR via ATL
ID 170782049 | Air © Max Walter | Dreamstime.com
United Rebuilds LAX–Southeast Asia Via Hong Kong (HKG)
United has returned to both Thailand and Vietnam from Los Angeles (LAX) — not with nonstops, but with long one-stop services via Hong Kong (HKG):
-
Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Bangkok (BKK)
-
Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
Both are daily and both are operated by the Boeing 787-9.
This is United quietly putting the pieces back together in Southeast Asia. The airline last served Bangkok (BKK) in 2014 (via Tokyo Narita), and it has been out of Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) even longer. Running it over Hong Kong (HKG) gives United slot structure, ground support, and cargo — and keeps LAX relevant for Asia, not just SFO and EWR.
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Frequency: Daily
Flight times: Up to 21h30m block to Bangkok (BKK); ~20h45m to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
ID 365843226 © Michael Piepgras | Dreamstime.com
Icelandair Starts Its New Longest Flight: Keflavik (KEF) – Miami (MIA)
Icelandair has launched 3x weekly service from Keflavik (KEF) to Miami (MIA) using the Airbus A321LR. Blocked at up to 8h40m, it’s now the longest Icelandair flight by time. The carrier already serves Orlando (MCO), so for the first time since it dropped Tampa, Icelandair has two Florida points on the map.
This is a classic Iceland play: fill up with Europe–Florida traffic over Keflavik (KEF) in winter, when Scandinavia, the UK, Germany, and Benelux are all sending sun traffic west. Miami (MIA) also gives Icelandair better access to Latin America via interline or simple turnarounds.
Aircraft: Airbus A321LR
Frequency: 3x weekly
Schedule logic: Late arrival into Miami (MIA), return the following day to protect the Europe bank
ID 391435798 © VanderWolfImages | Dreamstime.com
London Heathrow (LHR) Adds Three Long-Haul Carriers In One Day
On October 26 — winter changeover day — Heathrow (LHR) saw three new long-haul operators arrive, which is unusual for one of the tightest slot environments in the world.
-
Riyadh Air started Riyadh (RUH) – London Heathrow (LHR) daily with a Boeing 787-9, temporarily using a leased frame while the airline builds up. This makes the city pair a four-carrier market alongside British Airways, Saudia, and Virgin Atlantic.
-
Air Peace finally secured Heathrow access and launched Abuja (ABV) – London Heathrow (LHR) 3x weekly with the Boeing 777-200ER, directly challenging British Airways on one of Heathrow’s highest-yielding African routes. Because daily Heathrow slots weren’t available, Air Peace also added Abuja (ABV) – London Gatwick (LGW) two days later.
-
IndiGo began Mumbai (BOM) – London Heathrow (LHR) daily, using a 787-9 sourced from Norse Atlantic. That pushes Mumbai–London to nine daily flights once all carriers are counted.
What’s notable here is not just the three airlines — it’s how they got in: a mix of slot leasing, slot sitting, and creative widebody sourcing.
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 (Riyadh Air, IndiGo), Boeing 777-200ER (Air Peace)
Terminals: Mostly Terminal 3 and Terminal 4, depending on carrier
Market effect: More choice to Nigeria and India; more pressure on BA and Virgin pricing
ID 293994624 © Ritu Jethani | Dreamstime.com
Iberia Enters Orlando (MCO) From Madrid (MAD)
Iberia has started 4x weekly Madrid (MAD) – Orlando (MCO) with the Airbus A330-300. What was initially flagged as a winter operation is now set to run year-round, which tells you advance bookings from Spain were strong and that Orlando (MCO) saw good European-origin demand.
Madrid (MAD) is positioning itself as a less-overtouristed alternative to Barcelona (BCN), with growing luxury hotel stock, strong museum product, and high-speed rail to the rest of Spain. Orlando (MCO) gets the first nonstop from Spain operated by a network carrier, plus feed from Iberia’s European and North African network.
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Frequency: 4x weekly, year-round
Distance: ~3,800 nm
ID 257727948 | Airport © Boarding1now | Dreamstime.com
Norse Atlantic Adds Two Thailand Routes
Long-haul low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic has added winter sun flying to Bangkok (BKK) from two European gateways:
-
Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) – Bangkok (BKK), 2x weekly at launch, doubling in December
-
London Gatwick (LGW) – Bangkok (BKK), 3x weekly, rising to 4–5x around Christmas
Both operate with the Boeing 787-9.
Norse is clearly hunting for winter-season utilization where transatlantic yields soften. Bangkok (BKK) is a good candidate because it already has established inbound traffic, tour-operator demand, and reasonable cargo. But the London market is competitive — from Heathrow (LHR) you already have BA, Thai Airways, and EVA Air — so Gatwick (LGW) has to win on price and schedule.
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Frequency: 2–5x weekly depending on route and month
Competition: Thai Airways, British Airways, EVA Air (via LHR), plus other leisure carriers
ID 331015264 | Air © Boarding1now | Dreamstime.com
Discover Airlines (Lufthansa Group) Launches Frankfurt (FRA) – Seychelles (SEZ)
Lufthansa Group’s leisure arm, Discover, has started twice-weekly flights from Frankfurt (FRA) to Seychelles (SEZ) using the Airbus A330-300, with the aircraft continuing on to Mauritius (MRU) and then back. This puts two German carriers — Discover and Condor — in the Seychelles market at the same time for the first time in about 15 years.
For German tour operators, this is ideal: one rotation, two Indian Ocean islands, controllable seat stock, and brand alignment with Lufthansa. For Seychelles (SEZ), it’s another sign the destination is back to pre-2010 levels of European lift without having to rely solely on Middle East connections.
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Frequency: 2x weekly
Routing: Frankfurt (FRA) – Seychelles (SEZ) – Mauritius (MRU) – Seychelles (SEZ) – Frankfurt (FRA)
Bottom Line
This winter changeover delivered more than just the usual resumptions. Delta used its home base in Atlanta (ATL) to open up Marrakech (RAK), United rebuilt Southeast Asia via Hong Kong (HKG) from Los Angeles (LAX), Icelandair pushed its single-aisle A321LR all the way to Miami (MIA), and London Heathrow (LHR) somehow made room for three long-haul newcomers in the same 24 hours. The common thread: almost every one of these routes is either (1) hub-fed, (2) incentive-backed, or (3) timed to catch winter leisure demand — a good snapshot of how long-haul growth actually happens in 2025.
