Each week, Aerospace Global News takes a look at some of the long-haul route changes to and from Europe, all of which are subject to further adjustments.

The key highlights this week include ITA Airways’ brand-new Houston route, which reinforces its position both in the United States and in the North Atlantic market. It is of particular interest given Lufthansa’s recent acquisition of the company. The new US route signifies that the market will remain relevant for ITA.

Etihad Airways is briefly introducing the Airbus A321LR to flights to Amsterdam in February and March, bringing the total operation to two daily frequencies.

Finally, in other interesting developments, Air China has increased service to Europe. Flights to Brussels, a new destination, will begin in March 2026, while its Beijing to Budapest route will be upped to daily as of S26.

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. And, as we have seen in previous editions, they do.

North Atlantic

• ITA Airways introduces 5x weekly flights between Rome Fiumicino and Houston with an Airbus A330-900neo from S26
• Air Transat adds 1x weekly flight between Nantes and Quebec from S26 and reduces Nantes to Montreal by 1x weekly flight to 5x

South Atlantic

• Neos removes Milan Malpensa to Cartagena flights in 2026
• Turkish Airlines, Iberia and Plus Ultra remove all Caracas service in December 2025 due to the security situation

Africa

• Air France increases Paris to Douala and Paris to Yaoundé by 1x weekly each, to 4x weekly for S26.

Middle East

• Air Arabia introduces double daily London Gatwick to Sharjah flights from S26
• Etihad Airways doubles flights between Abu Dhabi and Amsterdam in February and March to 2x daily with a new daily A321LR service

Asia

• Air China adds daily flights between Brussels and Beijing, and 3x weekly flights between Brussels and Chengdu, from S26
• China Eastern adds 1x weekly flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Nanjing for S26
• Air China increases Budapest to Beijing from 4x weekly to daily for S26
• China Eastern ends 2x weekly A350 flights from both Rome and Madrid in S26 to Wenzhou, leaving just Milan Malpensa as the city’s only European destination
• China Eastern removes planned 1x weekly Istanbul to Xi’an flights from late-March 2026.. It began earlier this year.

ITA continues US expansion with new Houston route

ITA Airways announced a brand-new route connecting Rome Fiumicino with Houston as of 1 May 2026. For the first month, the service will run thrice weekly. After that, it will operate five times per week during the summer season.

Interestingly, ITA describes the US as its “main international market” and the launch of its ninth North American destination comes as the carrier continues its integration into the Lufthansa Group. Lufthansa finalised its purchase of a 41% stake in the carrier in January, with the Italian government retaining the remaining 59% for now.

ITA already flies to New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C. During the summer season it also operates to Chicago and Toronto.

Air China’s new Brussels expansion brings China closer to the EU

Air China has announced two routes to a brand-new destination in its network: Brussels. Complementing existing service from other Chinese carriers including Hainan and Juneyao Airlines.

Brussels – China Flights (April 2026)

Flights from Beijing and Chengdu will begin on 24 March and 26 March respectively using Airbus A330-300 equipment. Both flights are scheduled to arrive in Brussels at around the same time.

Air China’s Brussels flight times

Air China is both a member of Star Alliance and is a Lufthansa Group Joint Venture partner. Given that Brussels Airlines is also a member of the group, Air China’s entry will further reinforce their combined market position.

Air Arabia’s narrowbody expansion to London Gatwick

A clever move indeed. Air Arabia has announced nonstop flights between Sharjah and London Gatwick as of 29 March 2026, operating twice daily. The new route will use Airbus A321LR equipment. The plane offers the ability to fly fewer passengers at higher frequencies, increasing the airline’s service appeal.

For each leg, the airline offers a day and a night flight option.

Air Arabia’s Sharjah to London Gatwick flight times

This will become the airline’s longest route, leveraging the capabilities of the Airbus A321LR.

“The launch of our new service to London Gatwick marks a significant milestone in Air Arabia’s ongoing growth journey,” the company’s Chief Executive Officer Adel Al Ali said. “This expansion reflects our continued commitment to connecting our key markets with greater reach and convenience while delivering the value-driven travel experience Air Arabia is known for.”

The airline’s planes are densely configured, and have 215 seats across a single class. As Air Arabia is a low-cost airline the layout of the plane is not surprising. For reference, Icelandair – another operator of the A321LR – configures its units with 187 seats including: 22 in business, and 165 in economy.

Featured image: Lukas Wunderlich | stock.adobe.com

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