Buckle up everyone! The Middle East’s aviation industry shifted its expansion drive to high gear, with a range of new routes travellers can look forward to this year.

Etihad Airways leads the acceleration of air connectivity across the region with plans to launch 10 new routes over the next 12 months. Meanwhile international carriers such as China Southern Airlines and Wizz Air will drive the expansion of new routes amongst foreign airlines. 

New routes taking off in 2025 will compliment services that launched last year, including ITA Airways’ non-stop flights between Italy and Saudi Arabia, Emirates bolstering flights to Bali, Gulf Air’s 11 weekly flights to Germany, and Turkish Airlines’ non-stop service between Istanbul and Australia.  

Here’s a snapshot of some of the most exciting flight routes launching across the region this year:

Etihad Airway’s 10 new routes

Hanoi, Hong Kong, Atlanta and Tunis – they’re just a few of the cities Abu Dhabi’s flag carrier is adding to its network over this year. 

Announced late last year, the 10 news routes from Abu Dhabi will launch between July and November 2025, to: Algiers, Atlanta, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Krabi, Medan, Phnom Penh, Taipei and Tunis.

The first of the new routes will be a four-times weekly service between Abu Dhabi-Atlanta starting on 2 July. This will be followed by a daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Taipei on 8 September. 

The three times weekly service to Indonesia’s city of Medan will take off in October along with five times weekly services to Phnom Penh and a daily service to Krabi in Thailand. 

The last of the new flights take off in November and include three times weekly flights to Tunis, four weekly services to Chiang Mai, a daily flight to Hanoi, five times weekly service to Hong Kong and a four times weekly flight to Algiers.  

In addition to the 10 new destination, Abu Dhabi will also launch services to Prague and Warsaw this year. Learn more about the new routes, here.

Royal Jordanian’s grand return to India

The surge in Indian weddings across the Middle East has Royal Jordanian returning to India after a decade-long hiatus.

In July this year, the airline will recommence flights from Amman to the two Indian cities of Delhi and Mumbai. Both services will fly non-stop between Jordan and India and more details are expected to be announced this week.

Royal Jordanian last flew to Indian in October 2014, when it suspended its flights to Mumbai. At the time, the carrier claimed weak demand as the reason behind the termination.

Meanwhile, Royal Jordanian is also expected to grow its network with four new destinations in Africa and North America this year.

Emirates’ new flights to Sri Lankan city of Colombo

Etihad isn’t the only UAE carrier ramping up its Asian operations this year, Emirates plans on adding new services between Dubai and Sri Lanka’s city of Colombo.

Commencing 2 January 2025 (already up in the air!), flight EK654 will operate six times weekly until 31 March 2025 and will depart Dubai International Airport at 10.05am (everyday except Wednesday). The return service, flight EK655, will fly from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport at 11.05pm to arrive in Dubai at 1.05am the following morning.

Emirates will increase flights on the service to weekly from 1 April 2025.

Qatar Airways resumption of Saudi and Australian flights

The Qatari carrier is looking in its rear view mirror and returning to some of its abandoned services in 2025.

On 2 January (already in the air!), Qatar Airways resumed operations to Saudi Arabia’s Abha, giving its passengers an 11th connection to the Kingdom.

The non-stop Doha to Abha flights are operating twice weekly every Thursday and Saturday. Flight QR212 departs Doha at 8.35am to arrive in Abha at 11.15am. The return service, QR1213, will depart Abha at 12.15pm to touch down in Doha at 2.45pm.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways is also planning to resume its daily flights to Canberra, the capital city of Australia, in December 2025. The service will be operated by the airline’s Boeing 777 aircraft, featuring the Q-suite Business Class cabin and complimentary high-speed Starling wifi.

The Aussie flight was initially cancelled during the global pandemic however Qatar Airways believes a resumption of the service will bring much needed healthy competition to the market.

Air Arabia’s new flights to Russia and Ethiopia

While most businesses slowed down their announcements towards the end of last year, Air Arabia ramped theirs up with the launch of its first non-stop service between the UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah and Moscow.  The new three times weekly service technically took off in 2024, starting on 27 December, using the Airbus A320 aircraft. Services operate on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays on flight code G9830. 

Continuing to add to its Russian operations, Air Arabia will also launch a new route between Sharjah and Sochi on 27 June 2025. Flying three times weekly, Sochi will be the airline’s sixth Russian city served directly from Sharjah, following Moscow, Kazan, Samara, Una and Yekaterinburg.

Meanwhile the carrier has also launched new non-stop flights to Ethiopia, connecting Sharjah International Airport with Addis Ababa Bole International Airport three times a week, starting 30 January 2025. The route will be serviced by the Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.

Flyadeal’s expansion in Pakistan

Pakistan’s largest city and financial centre, here Flyadeal comes! From 2 February 2025, Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier will commence its first services to Pakistan and South Asia.

The twice-weekly services will operate from Saudi’s Riyadh and Jeddah to Pakistan’s Karachi, where flyadeal is expecting strong demand amongst Pakistanis with commercial, pilgrim and families ties in the Kingdom.

Outside of Pakistan, flyadeal is also planning to launch flights to a number of destination in South Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa over the next 12 months. Among them is new domestic services from Dammam to Najran, Tabuk and Yanbu, as well as first flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Jordan’s capital of Amman.

Air France-KLM’s new flights from France to Saudi Arabia

Amongst the international carriers beefing up its Middle Eastern operations this year, is Air France-KLM which will introduce a new service from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Saudi Arabia’s city of Riyadh.

The new service will commence during the peak summer season and will be the carrier’s third route into the Kingdom, following its successful flights from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Riyadh and Dammam.

China Southern Airlines’ new flights to Dubai 

The Chinese carrier increased connectivity to one of the Middle East’s biggest markets, with new flights between Dubai and China’s city of Shenyang via Guangzhou. 

The new route took off on 28 December 2024, with an initial one-time weekly service departing every Saturday. China Southern Airlines has deployed the Airbus A330-300 on the service which opens up a direct travel route that was previously unavailable.  

 Wizz Air Abu Dhabi adjusts services to Romania

The low-cost carrier will adjust its services between Abu Dhabi and Romania’s city of Bucharest by re-routing its flights from Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport to conveniently located Bucharest Băneasa – Aurel Vlaicu International Airport.

The switch in airports will commence on 30 March 2025, to enhance accessibility, deliver passengers closer to the city’s center and improve the passenger experience. 

Riyadh Air’s first flights will be announced soon!

The wait is almost over because Saudi Arabia’s forthcoming airline will announce its route network early this year. The carrier, which recently placed an order for 60 Airbus A321 neo aircraft (bringing the fleet order up to 132 planes), revealed that it’s in the process of finalising details of its destination map and will soon reveal all the details.  

What we do currently know is that Riyadh Air is planning to operate domestic and international services to over 100 destinations in the Middle East and six continents. Stay tuned for more!