Airline News in Brief 26 July 2026

Etihad Cargo expands Paris capacity: Etihad Cargo has expanded operations in France with the introduction of a second weekly freighter service to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). The additional service strengthens trade links between France and key global markets across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, while increasing capacity and flexibility for customers moving specialised and high-value cargo. The introduction of a second weekly freighter service to Paris comes in response to increasing demand from customers across several strategic cargo verticals. Paris remains an important gateway within Etihad Cargo’s global network, supporting the movement of pharmaceuticals through PharmaLife, perishables through FreshForward, equine transportation via SkyStables, and cultural logistics through FlyCulture, which plays an important role in supporting museums and cultural institutions in Abu Dhabi and beyond. Abra Group and Etihad Airways establish strategic partnership: Etihad Airways and Abra Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening connectivity between Latin America, the Middle East and Asia through the combined networks of Etihad and Abra’s airlines: Avianca, GOL and Wamos Air. The agreement reflects Abra’s strategy of leveraging the complementary strengths of its airline portfolio to create new growth opportunities, expand connectivity for customers and develop innovative commercial partnerships with leading global carriers. It also reflects Etihad’s strategy of strengthening Abu Dhabi’s connectivity by working with leading airlines in complementary markets. Through this collaboration, Abra and Etihad will explore opportunities across network development, loyalty programmes, aircraft leasing arrangements, ACMI services and broader commercial cooperation. The partnership contemplates expanded cooperation between Etihad, Avianca, and GOL through reciprocal loyalty benefits, commercial collaboration, and codeshare agreements, with plans to launch these initiatives in 2026. A key objective of the partnership is to create a new bridge, opening new horizons for Abra’s travellers through Etihad’s network across the Middle East, Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Australia, while providing Etihad customers with increased access to destinations throughout Latin America. Akasa Air adds Jaipur as its 29th domestic destination: Akasa Air announced the addition of Jaipur to its expanding domestic network. Effective 11 October 2026, the airline will commence daily direct flights connecting Jaipur with Mumbai and Bengaluru, reinforcing its commitment to enhancing connectivity across key leisure, cultural and economic centres in India. Commenting on the launch, Anand Srinivasan, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, said, “The launch of services to Jaipur marks another milestone in the continued expansion of our domestic network. Rajasthan is an important market for Akasa Air, and with Jaipur becoming our second destination in the state, we are pleased to offer customers more travel options and greater connectivity. The addition of daily flights to Mumbai and Bengaluru reflects our commitment to linking key economic and tourism centres while delivering the dependable, warm and seamless experience that our customers value. We look forward to welcoming customers on board as they travel to and from the Pink City.” China Airlines adds new Taichung-Okinawa service: China Airlines, a Taiwan-based carrier, launched its new Taichung-Okinawa service on July 21. The addition of Taichung to the existing networks operating out of Taiwan’s north (Taoyuan) and south (Kaohsiung) brings to 30 the total number of weekly round-trip services to Okinawa. The total number of round-trip services between Taiwan and Japan will exceed 170 a week, making further inroads into the Japanese market. To celebrate the launch of the new service, China Airlines is running a Dynasty Flyer only promotion for a limited time – outbound and inbound flights on the Taichung-Okinawa route will earn double miles before December 31, 2026. The China Airlines Taichung-Okinawa service will be flown by the A321neo aircraft and depart daily. The CI310 outbound flight will take off from Taichung Airport at 10:00 AM local time and arrive in Japan at 12:40 PM local time. The CI311 inbound flight will take off at 1:40 PM local time and arrive back in Taiwan at 2:10 PM local time. An afternoon service will be added from August 13 onwards. The CI312 outbound flight will take off at 3:20 PM local time and arrive in Japan at 6:00 PM local time; the CI313 inbound flight will take off at 7:00 PM local time and arrive back in Taiwan at 7:30 PM. The service will provide travelers with more flexibility in planning their flight itinerary. Morning departures and evening returns are now easier than ever to organize for travellers in central Taiwan. Air India, Saudia sign MOU: Air India and Saudia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand strategic cooperation between the two airlines. Building on their existing codeshare agreement, the MoU aims to strengthen connectivity between Saudi Arabia and India while supporting the continued growth of travel between the two countries. The MoU sets out a phased approach to developing the partnership. Areas of cooperation include expanding the existing codeshare agreement, improving connectivity across both airlines’ networks, exploring terminal co-location and exploring further operational and commercial opportunities, including cooperation between their loyalty programs. The two parties will also assess opportunities to extend the partnership in the future to other airlines within their respective groups, including flyadeal and Air India Express. Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India, said: “The relationship between India and Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen across multiple dimensions, creating significant opportunities for aviation to play an even greater role in connecting people, businesses, and the economies of the two nations. As carriers serving rapidly growing markets, Air India and Saudia are well positioned to deepen this relationship through closer collaboration. Together with Saudia, we look forward to exploring a range of new opportunities that will deliver greater value to our respective customers while supporting our long-term growth objectives, together.” Etihad Airways and Air Peace sign interline agreement: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline, have signed an interline agreement that connects the two carriers’ networks, opening 20 destinations across Nigeria, West and Central Africa to Etihad’s guests. Under the agreement, Etihad guests will be able to travel on a single ticket beyond Lagos and Accra onto Air Peace’s extensive network. That includes major Nigerian cities such as Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Enugu, Benin City, Owerri, Warri and Asaba, as well as regional destinations across West and Central Africa, among them Abidjan, Dakar, Banjul, Freetown, Monrovia, Conakry, Bamako, Douala and Libreville. Nowel Ngala, Chief Commercial Officer, Air Peace, said: “Air Peace has always been about opening doors for Nigerian and West African travellers. Working with Etihad Airways extends that ambition, giving our customers convenient access to Abu Dhabi on Etihad’s services once the new routes begin, while bringing Etihad’s guests to the many destinations we serve across the region. We look forward to welcoming travellers from both networks.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]