Once again this week, there are far fewer schedule updates this week on Europe’s long-haul network. As summer schedules have largely been published and preparation for winter next year still ongoing, this is not surprising.

There are some interesting developments as usual, however.  Air India will be expanding its London Gatwick operation next summer to higher frequencies. It consolidated its had consolidated its operation to London Heathrow in the aftermath of the tragic accident involving one of its Boeing 787s in June 2025. It returned to Gatwick for winter flights this October.

This forms part of its continued resumption of its international network which was significantly downsized earlier this year. In his first appearance since the crash, CEO Campbell Wilson spoke at the Aviation India Summit & Exhibition at the end of last month. He highlighted the company’s commitment to safety and excellence while also plotting future expansion plans as it begins to recover from the impact.

Speaking of recovery, the Europe-North Atlantic market – and particularly to the United States – continues to see expansion. LOT Polish Airlines unveiled its second-longest route after Warsaw-Los Angeles, with new flights to San Francisco from the Polish capital.

In a similar vein, Alaska Airlines opened ticket sales for its new Seattle to Rome flights. Instead of the initially planned four weekly flights, it has filed daily services when the route begins in summer of next year.

A mix of challenge and opportunity greets the South Atlantic this week, as the security situation in Venezuela impacts operations. TAP Air Portugal has suspended nonstop flights to Caracas through the end of January. It has also decided to expand its Brazilian operation, with a new route to Curitiba from summer next year.

Read last week’s schedule update here.

This week’s schedule changes

Using data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, the below is a non-exhaustive list of developments this week. For readability purposes, adjustments that extend to a large part or the entirety of the 2026 summer season have been listed as ‘S26’. Long-haul is defined as flights over 3,000 miles, meaning not all Europe to non-Europe flights are included, but only those that meet the threshold.
 
The sample was selected based on relevance and market trends, and does not include smaller changes such as minor aircraft changes with a limited impact on capacity. As always, schedules are subject to change.

From this week, the Middle East features as a separate region from Asia-Pacific for clarity.

Aeroméxico

• Aeroméxico schedules Paris Charles de Gaulle to Monterrey flights 3x per week from S26
• Aeroméxico resumes Barcelona to Mexico City flights 6x weekly from S26
• Alaska Airlines opens ticket sales for Rome Fiumicino to Seattle flights with daily services during S26 instead of initially planned 4x weekly.
• LOT Polish Airlines launches Warsaw to San Francisco from S26 operating 4x weekly with a Boeing 787-8
• Air Transat increases Valencia to Montreal flights from 1x to 2x weekly from June to August 2026
• British Airways increases London Heathrow to Cincinnati flights from 5x to 6x weekly in S26
• Aer Lingus appears to be suspending its Dublin to Denver summer seasonal flight earlier, with the last flight now scheduled for 5 October.

South Atlantic

• TAP Air Portugal launches Lisbon-Curitiba-Rio de Janeiro-Lisbon flights with an Airbus A330-200 as of July 2026. It will operate 3x weekly.

• TAP Air Portugal suspends flights between Lisbon and Caracas as of 15 November until the end of January.

Africa

• Lufthansa shifts its Frankfurt to Luanda International (LAD) service to the new airport, Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto Angola International Airport (NDJ). It flies the route 3x per week.

Asia-Pacific

• Air Astana schedules Frankfurt to Almaty, 3x weekly from April with Airbus A321neo equipment.

• Air India plans London Gatwick expansion with 5x weekly flights to Amritsar and 6x weekly flights to Ahmedabad from S26.

Middle East

• Etihad Airways will increase its Abu Dhabi to Lisvon flights from 4x to 6x weekly during S26. During the peak summer months, from mid-May to early September, this will drop to 5x weekly.

Air India expands flights at London Gatwick

Summer flights at London Gatwick are returning in 2026 after the schedule this year was cut short when the airline suspended several international services in the aftermath of the tragic accident in June. Next year it will concentrate on just two routes to Gatwick, but at higher frequencies.

It will no longer serve Kochi which was a planned termination as it continues to focus on more profitable routes. It will also not return to the Goa-London Gatwick flight, a primarily leisure-driven and seasonal market.

Instead, it will fly five weekly frequencies from Amritsar and six weekly from Ahmedabad next summer.

LOT Polish Airlines reveals new San Francisco route

LOT Polish Airlines announced a brand new route launching in summer 2026. Flights to San Francisco from its Warsaw hub will begin on 6 May 2026, operating four times a week with a Boeing 787-8. As mentioned, this is its second-longest route after Los Angeles and joins its five other destinations in the United States.

Network Director Robert Ludera noted that the transatlantic market is of “strategic importance” for the carrier and highlighted that 800,000 passengers travelled on the airline’s services to the United States in the last year.” He continued: “Not only will the new route connect the heart of Europe with the global hub for technology and innovation, but it will also open up new opportunities for both business travellers and tourists.”

Aeroméxico expands European network

Aeroméxico announced earlier this week that it would be adding two routes to its transatlantic network as of summer 2026. Six weekly fights from its Mexico City hub will resume to Barcelona as of 28 March.

This complements the carrier’s existing operation between Madrid and Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. It will use its fleet of Boeing 787s for the new flights. It last served this route in 2020, information from Cirium shows.

Three weekly flights from Monterrey to Paris Charles de Gaulle will launch thereafter on 13 April, joining its existing flights to the French capital from Mexico City.

Featured image: Nabil Molinari / Flickr

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