dailynewsnblog
Welcome to my 198th weekly routes article! It returns after a period of absence. As always, the purpose is just to provide a small selection of subjectively exciting service in a colorful way.
Seven routes have been chosen this week, all of which took off between February 22 and March 3. Eight were to have featured, but given airspace closures in the Middle East, Gulf Air has understandably postponed the launch of flights from Bahrain to Moscow Sheremetyevo.
ZIPAIR Arrives In Florida
The most significant addition this week involved the Japanese low-cost carrier ZIPAIR, which took off from Tokyo Narita to 
Orlando. It is the first time that Orlando (and Florida) has had nonstop flights from Japan.
But don’t get too excited. For now, at least, it will only operate on a time-limited basis, with flights on February 23, February 28, March 5, and March 10.
It is by far the airline’s new longest nonstop service. It uses the two-class, 290-seat 787-8, which is all that ZIPAIR has. It is one of the world’s longest 787-8-operated flights.
It exists in partnership with Disney Destinations International, with package tours to Orlando bookable. Flights are also bookable on a seat-only basis, although food isn’t included. It remains to be seen if regular service in what is a huge market will ever begin.
Japan’s ZIPAIR Launches Very Long Boeing 787 Flights To Orlando
The time-limited operation will make history in various ways.
Cebu Pacific Begins New Longest Route
Around 900,000 Filipinos live in Saudi Arabia, working in healthcare, hospitality, as nannies, etc. As such, it’s hardly surprising that the Manila-Riyadh market is huge. In 2025, 510,000 round-trip passengers flew to/from the Saudi capital.
On March 1, the low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific returned to the market, with a four-times weekly service on the 459-seat A330-900. It last operated there between 2014 and 2017, when the A330-300 was flown.
Cebu Pacific competes directly with Philippine Airlines and Saudia (it is not among that carrier’s longest routes). It’s the first time in nine years that three airlines have operated. They’ll have up to 18 weekly flights this year.
While Manila-Riyadh is well-served, Manila-Dammam has no nonstop flights. That’s despite its large size (260,000 passengers) and similar yields to Manila-Riyadh/Jeddah. As the flight time would be 45 minutes or so shorter than to Riyadh, it would be less expensive to serve. Will Cebu Pacific fly there too?
AJet Begins Rotterdam Flights
The Turkish low-cost carrier AJet now serves two airports in the Netherlands. In addition to Amsterdam, it now flies to Rotterdam, which is the country’s second most populous city.
Rotterdam is home to around 50,000 people of Turkish background, with Cirium Diio showing five Turkish airports served this year. But AJet operates from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, which is its primary airport and is on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. Flights run four to six times a week, and are nearly always on the 737 MAX 8.
Pegasus has served Sabiha Gökçen-Rotterdam since 2018. Transavia operated between 2013 and 2015, while Turkish Airlines had flights from Istanbul Airport between 2014 and 2016.
Third Time Lucky For Spirit Between Tampa And San Juan?
The troubled carrier Spirit has restarted flying between Tampa and San Juan. Having operated between 2007 and 2008 and again from 2019 to 2024, its daily service this time is only scheduled through April 14. Will it be extended?
It is a huge local market. In the 12 months to November 2025, 396,000 round-trip passengers—nearly 1,100 daily—flew between the two cities. It was San Juan’s eighth most-trafficked market to/from the Lower 48, after Orlando, New York JFK, Newark, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Philadelphia.
In the first week of March, Tampa-San Juan will have 27 weekly departures, provided by Southwest (eight weekly), JetBlue (daily), Spirit (daily) and Frontier (five weekly). Despite Spirit’s return, 32 weekly flights were available in the same week in 2025. It’s just that the other carriers, except Southwest, have halved their offering—which is probably why Spirit returned.
Over 6 Hours On Spirit Airlines? The Carrier’s 10 Longest Nonstop Flights [2026]
The carrier has slashed 45% of its routes in the past year. But what are its longest services?
United Is Back In Quilt City
The nickname of Paducah, Kentucky, is Quilt City, which is because of its National Quilt Museum. Despite only having a population of 27,000, rising to 140,000 at the metro level, it is also a UNESCO-listed Creative City.
Since 2022, Paducah, which is located between St. Louis and Nashville, hasn’t had any commercial flights by the US Big Three carriers. Instead, Contour operated to Charlotte on an Essential Air Service-funded basis, although that route has ended.
On February 24, United Express returned to Paducah, having pulled out in December 2022, a few months before the new terminal opened. It operates from both Chicago O’Hare (EAS funded) and Houston Intercontinental (doesn’t have separate funding), with a daily SkyWest-operated CRJ550 service on both routes. Obviously, a huge number of destinations can be reached via the two hubs.
Massive Boost: This Major US Airport Gets Flights To 16+ New Destinations In 2026
Six of the destinations have never been served before. Find out about them here.
Scootin’ To Tokyo Haneda
On March 1, Scoot, which is the low-cost unit of Singapore Airlines, began its next new route. It took off from Changi to Tokyo Haneda for the first time. Flights run daily, with the 787-8 and the 787-9 deployed. It means the airport pair has four airlines for the first time.
It is the budget operator’s new seventh-longest nonstop route and number two within Asia. Its longest nonstop Asian link is from Changi to Tokyo Narita, which has been served on this basis since 2022, and which continues to be flown daily. Narita has had one-stop flights since 2017.
Scoot’s new Haneda service leaves the city-state at 5:30 pm and gets to the Japanese capital at 1:00 am local time. Returning, flights depart at 2:15 am and return at 8:50 am. As you’d expect, the schedule is quite different from that offered to/from Narita.
SWISS’s A350 Arrives In Montreal
OK, you’ve got me. This is not a new route at all, but rather an equipment swap. But it’ll mean a significantly improved hard product based on SWISS Senses (Allegris, but with SWISS branding), albeit only temporarily.
SWISS now uses the 242-seat A350-900 between Zurich and Montreal, replacing the 236-seat tired A330-300. The swap means five fewer seats in first and 27 fewer seats in economy, but the route gains a premium economy cabin. However, the brand-new A350 won’t be used for long. Unless things change, the plan remains for the A340-300 to replace it on March 28.
The A350 flies to the Canadian city daily. It is the first time the Star route, which covers 3,246 nautical miles (6,012 km) each way, has seen equipment other than the A330 since 2023.
