Airline News in Brief 15 January 2026

Air India, Saudia sign codeshare: Air India and Saudia have signed a codeshare agreement that will take effect in February. The agreement introduces a range of benefits for Air India’s and Saudia’s guests, boosting connectivity, enhancing travel experience, strengthening network access, maximising flight options, and supporting growing demand across tourism, business travel, and wider guest segments. Through the new partnership, guests will enjoy streamlined booking and ticketing, smooth connections using a single itinerary, and baggage check-through to their final destination. Air India guests travelling to Jeddah or Riyadh with Air India can take onward connections on Saudia-operated flights to Dammam, Abha, Gassim, Gizan, Madinah, and Taif. The addition of codeshare flights on the Jeddah-Riyadh route now allows guests more flexibility to arrive in one city and depart from another. Connections to select complementary international destinations will be added later this year. The codeshare will also provide Saudia’s guests access to major cities across India via Mumbai and Delhi, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, and Jaipur and more than 15 other destinations as interline. AirBorneo taps Sabre tech: Sabre announced a new long-term agreement with AirBorneo. The newly established airline began operations in early January 2026 and has chosen Sabre to underpin its planning and pricing strategy. By adopting Sabre’s  technology AirBorneo – which is owned by the government of the Malaysian state of Sarawak – aims to establish strong foundations to support both regional connectivity and long-term growth, while ensuring it can adapt quickly to market changes and deliver a seamless passenger experience. Through the multi-year deal, AirBorneo will deploy: Sabre’s Network Planning & Optimization (NPO) suite to automate and efficiently manage flight schedules, codeshare agreements, and route profitability; Sabre Mosaic Revenue Optimizer to support pricing strategies by dynamically adjusting seat availability and fare conditions in response to market demand and business objectives; Sabre Market Intelligence & Global Demand Data to gain critical insights and competitive benchmarks to fuel network and revenue growth. Emirates to launch flights to Helsinki: Emirates will launch a daily flight between Helsinki and Dubai from 1 October 2026, expanding its footprint in the Nordics. The new service introduces the only year-round, direct link between Finland and the UAE, and unlocking expanded opportunities for both international leisure and corporate travellers. The service will operate with Emirates’ newest aircraft type, the A350, bringing its latest products and highly acclaimed Premium Economy cabin to Finland, from the inaugural flight. Emirates flight EK167 will depart Dubai at 08:45hrs, arriving in Helsinki at 14:55hrs; the return flight, EK168 will depart Helsinki at 16:45, landing in Dubai at 00:20 the following day. The flight schedule has been optimised to ensure smooth onwards connections, offering convenient access to and from key destinations across East and Southeast Asia such as Bangkok, Phuket, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taipei; comprehensive connectivity across West Asia and popular Indian Ocean points; African destinations including Cairo, Cape Town and Johannesburg; major hubs across the Middle East and GCC including Damman, Riyadh, Muscat and Kuwait City; and all five Australian cities on Emirates’ network, as well as connections from Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand. Trax expands Air Atlanta Icelandic relationship: Trax signed a multi-year contract expansion with Air Atlanta Icelandic. A Trax customer for more than 25 years, Air Atlanta Icelandic upgraded to Trax’s eMRO platform in 2024. Air Atlanta Icelandic will add Trax’s eMobility and cloud hosting solutions to further streamline maintenance, improve efficiency, and enhance compliance. Air Atlanta Icelandic’s deployment of additional Trax solutions will empower mechanics to manage defects digitally, enable line controllers to coordinate aircraft turnaround more effectively, and transition the airline to electronic task card execution for maintenance workflows. Pilots will benefit from a fully electronic logbook while technical teams gain mobile access to manuals and documentation, reducing paper dependency and ensuring real-time accuracy. Hosting all applications in Trax’s cloud will provide Air Atlanta Icelandic greater scalability, security, and reliability while reducing the airline’s infrastructure overhead. “Trax has supported Air Atlanta Icelandic for decades and is excited to be at the centre of their strategic transformation,” said Omar Santos, Trax’s Vice President of Global Services and Support. “Their deployment of eMobility and cloud hosting is a prime example of how an expanded suite of Trax solutions can enable customers to further boost productivity, enhance safety, and deliver a more agile operational model.” JSX starts ATR public charter operations: ATR and JSX announced that JSX has begun operations with JSX’s first ATR 42-600 aircraft on the Santa Monica–Las Vegas route, marking an early milestone in its fleet expansion. JSX will operate four ATR 42-600s in early 2026, each featuring a premium 30-seat configuration. Designed to deliver the convenience of semi-private travel with the efficiency of regional aviation, these aircraft will offer spacious interiors, business-class legroom, high-speed internet connectivity (pending certification), power outlets, and complimentary onboard amenities, redefining the customer experience in the U.S. regional market. “JSX is proud to partner with ATR to relaunch this highly capable aircraft in the United States passenger market,” said Alex Wilcox, JSX Chief Executive Officer. “The ATR 42-600 is a game-changer for JSX, enabling us to expand our award-winning hop on service to thousands more airports across the U.S. while maintaining the premium experience our customers expect.” Nathalie Tarnaud-Laude, ATR Chief Executive Officer, added: “Introducing ATR aircraft into JSX’s unique operating model is a powerful statement that our aircraft offering can elevate regional travels. And the ATR is not only relevant for today’s passenger expectations; it is future-ready. Together with JSX, we are defining the next generation of regional passenger experience. Convenience is at the heart of this model, perfectly aligned with JSX’s promise of a Joyful, Simple Experience: effortless boarding and arrivals closer to home, thanks to an aircraft that can access more airports.” Korean Air unveils new Prestige lounge: Korean Air unveiled its newly renovated Prestige East (Left) Lounge at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on January 13, ahead of its official opening on January 14. Spanning 1,553 square meters with 192 seats, the lounge features a spacious design inspired by the sophisticated comfort of luxury hotel lounges. The lounge offers a full range of amenities, including a buffet and live cooking stations, dining areas, a bar, and shower facilities. Dedicated work-friendly areas further enhance convenience for business travelers. Moving beyond traditional airport lounge conventions, the renovated space features interactive facilities designed to engage diverse passenger demographics. The lounge includes: Ramyeon Library: Reflecting the global popularity of K-Food, this self-service station allows guests to customize their own instant noodles. Passengers can select their preferred noodles and toppings, then cook them instantly at automated machines; Cooking Studio L’atelier: Operated in collaboration with chefs from the Grand Hyatt Incheon, this studio offers participation-based classes, such as chocolate bark making. Classes are available via on-site reservation; Arcade Room: A dedicated entertainment zone featuring photo booths, claw machines, air hockey and car racing games to appeal to younger travelers and families. The reopening of the Prestige East (Left) Lounge, located on the fourth floor of Terminal 2 across from Gate 253, is part of a broader infrastructure expansion at Incheon Terminal 2 in preparation for the airline’s integration with Asiana Airlines. Korean Air completed the first phase of its lounge renewal project in August 2025, with the opening of a fully redesigned Miler Club and Prestige East (Right) Lounge, as well as two Prestige Garden lounges at the far ends of the terminal. The airline plans to complete renovations of the First Class Lounge and the Prestige West Lounge by the first half of this year. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]