Israel’s flag carrier has confirmed that it will begin flights between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires starting November 29th, operating twice a week with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft configured for 271 passengers.
The launch of this route marks a historic milestone, as these are the first regular nonstop flights in the Israel-Argentina market, as well as the first regular nonstop flights between Argentina and the Middle East.
El Al Israel Airlines is returning to South America following a 15-year absence, having left this market in June 2011 due to low profitability, after operating the Tel Aviv–São Paulo route since May 2009, using Boeing 777-200(ER) aircraft.
Tuesday and Sunday
- LY 41 Tel Aviv TLV 18:15 · 05:40+1 EZE Buenos Aires
Monday and Wednesday
- LY 42 Buenos Aires EZE 10:45 · 07:00+1 TLV Tel Aviv
Since El Al does not fly over certain countries, flight times will be longer, with a blocked time of 16 hours and 25 minutes for the Tel Aviv-Buenos Aires leg, and more than 15 hours for the Buenos Aires-Tel Aviv segment.
In addition to Buenos Aires, El Al Israel Airlines has announced another new international route to/from Tel Aviv: Seoul.
The airline will fly three times a week between Tel Aviv and the South Korean capital with 249-seat Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, effective March 27th, 2027. El Al will be the only carrier in the Israel-South Korea market, operating as follows:
Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
- LY 77 Tel Aviv TLV 23:45 · 15:20+1 ICN Seoul
- LY 78 Seoul ICN 17:35 · 23:05 TLV Tel Aviv (Tue/Thu/Sun)
Buenos Aires and Seoul will join Bangkok, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Phuket, and Tokyo as the airline’s long-haul routes from Tel Aviv, operated by wide-body aircraft, including the 777-200, 787-8, and 787-9. It also runs some routes to Europe using wide-body aircraft.
Air Canada
Air Canada’s first revenue flight with an Airbus A321XLR is scheduled to take off from Montreal on June 9th at 13:10 local time; the aircraft has been in Canada since April 24th.
At the time of publication, the first flight will be AC 413 to Toronto, where it is expected to land at 14:38 local time. The A321XLR registration C-GXLR will return to Montreal that same afternoon and then will operate other domestic flights in Canada before moving on to international service.
Air Canada plans to add 30 Airbus A321XLR aircraft to its fleet, with around 10 of them set to join the fleet this year.
Air Transat
In our previous route report, we announced that Air Canada will launch flights between Canada and Gran Canaria beginning in December, using 182-seat Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
Earlier in May, Air Transat confirmed the introduction of its first flights to Gran Canaria from Canada, which it will operate with 199-seat Airbus A321neos.
Air Transat will fly to the Canary Island from Montreal and Toronto, serving each route once a week. As with Air Canada, Air Transat will operate these routes during the 2026/2027 European winter season.
Montreal · December 12th
Saturday/Sunday
- TS 456 Montreal YUL 19:45 · 07:35+1 LPA Gran Canaria (Saturday)
- TS 457 Gran Canaria LPA 09:05 · 12:15 YUL Montreal (Sunday)
Toronto · December 13th
Sunday/Monday
- TS 376 Toronto YYZ 19:00 · 07:20+1 LPA Gran Canaria (Sunday)
- TS 377 Gran Canaria LPA 08:50 · 12:55 YYZ Toronto (Monday)
Copa
In addition to Caracas, other Venezuelan cities are restoring their international connections, including Barcelona, Maracaibo, Porlamar, and Valencia, as we will see in our following route reports.
Starting with the next new introduction, Copa Airlines has confirmed the resumption of services between Panama City and Barcelona as of June 2nd. These flights will operate three times weekly using Boeing 737-700 aircraft with a capacity of 126 passengers.
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
- CM 100 Panama City PTY 09:35 · 13:18 BLA Barcelona
- CM 492 Barcelona BLA 14:28 · 16:20 PTY Panama City
Iberojet
The Spanish airline is adding a new market in the Americas: El Salvador.
As of September 13th, Iberojet will launch two routes between Spain and San Salvador, to be operated with Airbus A350-900 aircraft configured for 432 passengers in single class.
Madrid · September 13th
Sunday/Tuesday
- E9 865 Madrid MAD 17:35 · 22:25 SAL San Salvador (Sunday)
- E9 866 San Salvador SAL 05:35 · 22:45 MAD Madrid (Tuesday)
Barcelona · September 14th
Monday
- E9 868 San Salvador SAL 01:25 · 18:50 BCN Barcelona
- E9 867 Barcelona BCN 21:25 · 02:35+1 SAL San Salvador
Iberia is currently the only airline operating on the Spain – San Salvador market, offering the Madrid – Guatemala City – San Salvador – Madrid route using Airbus A330 aircraft.
Swiss
Starting October 27th, Swiss International Air Lines will operate flights between Zurich and Bengaluru with Airbus A330-300 aircraft, five times a week. The carrier will launch its second route in the Switzerland-India market following the Zurich-Delhi route, which is currently served daily by Boeing 777-300(ER) aircraft.
Daily except Monday and Wednesday
- LX 140 Zurich ZRH 13:20 · 02:55+1 BLR Bengaluru
- LX 141 Bengaluru BLR 04:50 · 10:50 ZRH Zurich (daily except Tue/Thu)
Bengaluru will be Zurich’s third connection with India, after Delhi and Mumbai.
Transavia
Cape Verde, the Dutch airline’s new market.
Transavia will launch flights between Amsterdam and Sal (Espargos) as of October 27th, using Airbus A321neo aircraft with a capacity of 232 passengers.
Tuesday and Friday
- HV 5781 Amsterdam AMS 06:00 · 08:05 FAO Faro
- HV 5781 Faro FAO 08:40 · 11:05 SID Espargos
- HV 5782 Espargos SID 12:50 · 21:10 AMS Amsterdam
Faro is a technical stop
Currently, easyJet offers services on the Amsterdam – Espargos route (nonstop) with Airbus A321neo aircraft.
AJet
Beginning July 1st, the Turkish carrier will commence service to St. Petersburg from Ankara, its second destination after Istanbul. AJet will operate five weekly flights on Boeing 737-800 aircraft as follows:
Daily except Tuesday and Thursday
- VF 633 Ankara ESB 23:50 · 04:00+1 LED St. Petersburg
- VF 634 St. Petersburg LED 05:00 · 09:00 ESB Ankara (daily except Wed/Fri)
The airline has two daily frequencies between Istanbul and St. Petersburg with the same aircraft.
Air China
The Star Alliance member will launch service between Wenzhou and Jeju on June 7th, flying twice a week with 158-seat Airbus A320-200 aircraft.
Friday
- CA 733 Wenzhou WNZ 14:05 · 17:05 CJU Jeju
- CA 734 Jeju CJU 18:15 · 19:15 WNZ Wenzhou
Sunday
- CA 733 Wenzhou WNZ 15:15 · 18:15 CJU Jeju
- CA 734 Jeju CJU 19:25 · 20:25 WNZ Wenzhou
Wenzhou will be Air China’s second destination in Jeju, following Beijing.
China Eastern
The world’s longest commercial route will increase its frequency starting in December.
China Eastern Airlines will double its flights on the Shanghai – Auckland – Buenos Aires route, which it operates using Boeing 777-300(ER) aircraft configured for 316 passengers. The new schedule will be effective as of December 5th, going from two to four flights per week.
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday
- MU 745 Shanghai PVG 02:00 · 18:00 AKL Auckland
- MU 745 Auckland AKL 20:00 · 16:45 EZE Buenos Aires
New flights on Wednesdays and Sundays
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday
- MU 746 Buenos Aires EZE 02:15 · 07:40+1 AKL Auckland
- MU 746 Auckland AKL 09:40+1 · 18:00+1 PVG Shanghai
New flights on Mondays and Thursdays
The Shanghai – Auckland – Buenos Aires route covers over 19,600 kilometers and takes more than 25 hours.
Himalaya Airlines
Effective June 4th, Himalaya Airlines will initiate flights between Kathmandu and Shenzhen, its second route to China after Kathmandu – Lhasa. Operations will be served once a week on Airbus A320-200 aircraft, with a capacity of 180 passengers.
Thursday
- H9 985 Kathmandu KTM 21:50 · 04:30+1 SZX Shenzhen
- H9 986 Shenzhen SZX 05:55 · 08:35 KTM Kathmandu (Friday)
Himalaya Airlines has three aircraft in its fleet, one Airbus A319 and two Airbus A320s.
Shanghai Airlines
The carrier will initiate the Shanghai – Singapore route on June 11th, which will be conducted using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft configured for 176 passengers in a two-class layout.
Daily
- FM 843 Shanghai PVG 20:55 · 02:25+1 SIN Singapore
- FM 844 Singapore SIN 03:25 · 08:10 PVG Shanghai
Shanghai Airlines will be the sixth airline to operate flights between the two cities, following Air China, China Eastern, Juneyao Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Spring Airlines.
United
After a three-month hiatus, United Airlines plans to resume flights between Saipan and Tokyo as of July 12th, operating with Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft seating 166 passengers.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- UA 824 Saipan SPN 07:15 · 09:55 NRT Tokyo
- UA 825 Tokyo NRT 21:00 · 01:30+1 SPN Saipan
Its last flight to date was on April 10th, operated by the Boeing 737-824 with registration N33262.
Air New Zealand
The New Zealand airline has announced a major international expansion from Christchurch in Q4 2026, with the introduction of two intercontinental routes and one to Australia, to be performed by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
Perth, Singapore, and Tokyo will be added to the schedule, having last been served in 2019, 2020, and 2015, respectively. Air New Zealand currently serves these three destinations, with flights from/to Auckland, also using wide-body aircraft.
Singapore · October 28th
Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
- NZ 66 Christchurch CHC 17:20 · 22:55 SIN Singapore
- NZ 67 Singapore SIN 00:40 · 15:35 CHC Christchurch (Mon/Wed/Fri)
Tokyo Narita · November 28th
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
- NZ 51 Christchurch CHC 12:35 · 20:10 NRT Tokyo
- NZ 52 Tokyo NRT 21:40 · 12:50+1 CHC Christchurch
Perth · November 30th
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- NZ 239 Christchurch CHC 17:45 · 19:45 PER Perth
- NZ 240 Perth PER 21:15 · 08:15+1 CHC Christchurch
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi
On May 1st at 17:50 local time, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s inaugural flight for Amman City departed Abu Dhabi, which was performed by the Airbus A320-214 with registry A6-AUA.
The airline will operate three weekly flights on this route, offering 522 seats per week in each leg. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will be the only carrier operating to Amman City Airport (ADJ/OJAM) from the United Arab Emirates.
Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
- 3L 138 Abu Dhabi AUH 17:40 · 19:50 ADJ Amman City
- 3L 139 Amman City ADJ 20:30 · 00:30+1 AUH Abu Dhabi
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways, and Royal Jordanian operate between Abu Dhabi and Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) in Amman.
Saudia
At 12:22 local time on May 24th, Saudia’s inaugural flight from Riyadh landed in Al Wajh. The trip was covered by the Airbus A320 registered as HZ-AS68 and took 1 hour and 37 minutes.
Flights will run three times weekly using Airbus A320-200 aircraft configured for 112 or 132 passengers in a two-class cabin. It will be the only airline offering this domestic route.
Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday
- SV 1551 Riyadh RUH 10:30 · 12:25 EJH Al Wajh
- SV 1552 Al Wajh EJH 13:15 · 15:05 RUH Riyadh
As well as being the only operator on the Riyadh – Al Wajh route, Saudia is the only carrier operating at Al Wajh Airport (EJH/OEWJ).
Air Congo
A historic milestone will take place for Air Congo on July 1st: it will launch its first scheduled route to Europe.
Using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners from Ethiopian Airlines, the airline—51% owned by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 49% by Ethiopian—will begin flights between Kinshasa and Brussels, operating five times a week.
Ethiopian’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners are configured for 270 passengers, which will provide 1,350 weekly seats per leg.
Daily except Tuesday and Thursday
- ET 98 Kinshasa FIH 22:00 · 07:00+1 BRU Brussels
Daily except Wednesday and Friday
- ET 99 Brussels BRU 10:00 · 17:05 FIH Kinshasa
Kinshasa – Brussels will be Air Congo’s second international route, following the Kinshasa – Lubumbashi – Johannesburg route, which the airline operates using Boeing 737-800 aircraft and launched on March 22nd.
New aircraft added during May
| Aircraft | Registration | Airline |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A321-271NX | SX-NAZ | Aegean |
| Airbus A320-251N | A6-ARG | Air Arabia |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | EC-OSS | Air Europa |
| Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | VT-AWB | Air India |
| Airbus A321-251NX | 9M-XVC | AirAsia |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | TC-OHV | AJet |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | TC-OHZ | AJet |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | TC-VFC | AJet |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | N839AK | Alaska Airlines |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | N842AK | Alaska Airlines |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | N308VR | American Airlines |
| Embraer E175LR | N344JA | American Eagle |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | HI1141 | Arajet |
| ATR 72-600 | 9M-BJA | Berjaya Air |
| Airbus A220-300 | N264BZ | Breeze Airways |
| Airbus A220-300 | N265BZ | Breeze Airways |
| Airbus A320-251N | G-TTSI | British Airways |
| Airbus A321-251NX | B-32RF | China Eastern |
| Airbus A321-251NX | B-32R2 | China Southern |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | HP-9819CMP | Copa Airlines |
| Airbus A220-300 | N339DU | Delta Air Lines |
| Airbus A220-300 | N341DU | Delta Air Lines |
| Airbus A321-271NX | N609DN | Delta Air Lines |
| Airbus A321-271NX | N611DT | Delta Air Lines |
| Airbus A350-941 | N532DZ | Delta Air Lines |
| Airbus A320-251N | OE-LUH | easyJet |
| Airbus A321-251NX | G-ZXIA | easyJet |
| Airbus A321-251NX | G-ZXIB | easyJet |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | SU-GGL | Egyptair |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | SU-GGM | Egyptair |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | SU-GGN | Egyptair |
| Airbus A350-941 | A6-EXT | Emirates |
| Airbus A350-941 | A6-EXU | Emirates |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | SP-EXM | Enter Air |
| Airbus A320-271N | N440FR | Frontier |
| Airbus A320-251N | A9-CTI | Gulf Air |
| Airbus A321-251NX | B-32Q9 | Hainan Airlines |
| Airbus A320-251N | B-32QF | Hainan Airlines |
| Airbus A320-251N | B-32QG | Hainan Airlines |
| Airbus A320-251N | B-32RH | Hainan Airlines |
| Airbus A320-251N | B-32RW | Hainan Airlines |
| Airbus A321-251NX | VT-NHS | IndiGo |
| Airbus A321-251NX | VT-NHT | IndiGo |
| Airbus A321-251NX | VT-NOB | IndiGo |
| Airbus A321-251NX | VT-NOC | IndiGo |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | HL8739 | Jeju Air |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | HL8740 | Jeju Air |
| Airbus A321-251NX | G-SUNX | Jet2 |
| Airbus A220-300 | N3304J | jetBlue |
| Airbus A220-300 | N3308J | jetBlue |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | SP-LYI | LOT |
| Airbus A320-251N | D-AIID | Lufthansa City |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 9M-MVP | Malaysia Airlines |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 9M-MVQ | Malaysia Airlines |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 9M-MVR | Malaysia Airlines |
| Embraer E195-E2 | XA-MXF | Mexicana |
| Boeing 777-F | N792CA | National |
| Airbus A320-251N | JA220P | Peach |
| Airbus A220-300 | VH-X4L | QantasLink |
| Airbus A320-271N | JY-RAQ | Royal Jordanian |
| Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | JY-RBC | Royal Jordanian |
| Airbus A320-251N | LN-SAG | SAS |
| ATR 72-600 | HK-5485 | SATENA |
| Airbus A320-251N | B-32PC | Shenzhen Airlines |
| Airbus A321-251NX | B-32QW | Shenzhen Airlines |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 9V-MBW | Singapore |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | N9002W | Southwest |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | N9003B | Southwest |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | N9004H | Southwest |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | N9006L | Southwest |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | N9007K | Southwest |
| Airbus A330-941 | B-58308 | STARLUX |
| Airbus A330-941 | OY-VKR | Sunclass Airlines |
| Airbus A321-251NX | HS-TOF | Thai Airways |
| Airbus A321-251NX | PH-YHP | Transavia |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | G-TUPG | TUI |
| Airbus A321-271NX | TC-LRF | Turkish Airlines |
| Boeing 737 MAX 9 | N87442 | United Airlines |
| Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | N81105 | United Airlines |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | VH-8VD | Virgin Australia |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | VH-8VE | Virgin Australia |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | VH-8VH | Virgin Australia |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | VH-8VI | Virgin Australia |
| Embraer E190-E2 | VH-E2D | Virgin Australia |
| Airbus A321-271NX | XA-XXV | Volaris |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | C-GWSI | WestJet |
| Airbus A321-271NX | HA-LDJ | Wizz Air |
| Airbus A321-271NX | HA-LDO | Wizz Air |
| Airbus A321-271NY(XLR) | 9H-XLE | Wizz Air Malta |
Cover photo: © itayoved0300 – JetPhotos (Tel Aviv, Israel)
The post May routes roundup: El Al to resume flights to South America after 15 years appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.