Here’s our weekly roundup of new air routes and codeshare partnerships
Korean Air introduces Premium Class on retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER
Korean Air has unveiled Premium Class on its newly retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER, with the first flights on short- and mid-haul routes from mid-September. The airline has invested around 300 billion won (US$230.77) to upgrade 11 aircraft with redesigned cabins and new onboard technology.
Premium Class, positioned between Prestige (business) and Economy, features 40 seats in a 2-4-2 layout with 50 per cent more space than Economy, a seat pitch of 39 to 41 inches, 19.5-inch-wide seats, up to 130-degree recline, leg and footrests, ergonomic headrests, and winged sides for privacy. In-flight entertainment includes 15.6-inch 4K screens.
Meals on international routes comprise a main course, appetiser, and dessert from the Prestige menu, with beverages including wine, coffee, and tea. Premium Class passengers also enjoy priority ground services, Morning Calm check-in counters, priority baggage handling, and Sky Priority boarding.
The launch coincides with a full interior overhaul of the Boeing 777-300ER fleet, featuring Prestige Suites 2.0 in 1-2-1 configuration, New Economy in 3-4-3 layout, upgraded Wi-Fi, and improved in-flight entertainment across all cabins.
Qantas to offer daily Sydney-New York flights via Auckland
Qantas will increase its Sydney-New York flights via Auckland from five per week to daily from June to October 2026. This will be the first daily Sydney-Auckland-New York service since the route launched in June 2023 and Qantas’ first daily flights to New York since pre-Covid Sydney-Los Angeles-New York services.
The airline’s A380 has returned to Sydney-Dallas on August 11, and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner resumed Brisbane-Los Angeles services on August 13, part of an international network update announced in October 2024.
Scoot adds flights to Chiang Rai, Okinawa and Tokyo
Scoot will launch new flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, and Okinawa and Tokyo (Haneda) in Japan between December 2025 and March 2026. Flights to Chiang Rai will operate five times weekly from January 1, 2026, on the Embraer E190-E2. Services to Okinawa will start three times weekly from December 15, 2025, on the Airbus A320 family, while daily flights to Tokyo (Haneda) begin March 1, 2026, on Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
With these additions, Scoot will operate 111 weekly flights to Thailand and 45 to Japan, serving 76 destinations across 18 countries and territories in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe.
The airline will also increase frequencies on existing routes. In South-east Asia, Bangkok flights rise from 35 to 39 weekly from August 2025, Ipoh from 17 to 21 weekly from November 2025, and Chiang Mai progressively to 14 weekly by December 2025. In North Asia, Tokyo (Narita via Taipei) increases to 14 weekly from October 2025, Sapporo (Hokkaido via Taipei) from four to seven weekly from December 2025, and Singapore-Taipei from 23 to 25 weekly in October and 25 to 28 from December 2025. Flights to Jeju will increase from five to seven weekly from January 2026. In Europe, Vienna services rise from three to four weekly from March 2026.
AirAsia X launches Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul route
AirAsia X (AAX) will introduce a new route between Kuala Lumpur and Istanbul, Türkiye, from November 14, 2025, with four weekly flights.
The service operates from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, which connects to more than 117 international and 40 domestic destinations. The route expands AAX’s network to Europe, linking South-east Asia to one of the world’s most historically and geographically unique cities.
The launch also enables an affordable Umrah Plus Istanbul package through Your Companion, the Islamic lifestyle arm of Capital A, allowing travellers to combine a spiritual journey with a visit to Istanbul. Fly-Thru services via Kuala Lumpur provide one-stop connections for passengers without baggage recheck, while giving travellers from Türkiye access to AirAsia’s 130 destinations in South-east Asia.
