Airlines in Asia have announced or launched new routes for 2025, further expanding the options for travellers. These airlines also increased the frequency of services on multiple routes to cater to the summer and year end travel demand.
Here is a selection of the new routes and additional frequences.
Hong Kong Airlines
On 20 June, Hong Kong Airlines made its inaugural flight from Hong Kong to Sydney. Hong Kong Airlines is only the second local airline to operate this route. Sydney to Hong Kong routes remain one of Sydney Airport’s busiest, with more than 850,00 passengers flying between cities in 2024.
The airline also inaugurated or reinstated flights to Gold Coast in Australia, Vancouver in Canada, and Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia. This includes the resumption of seasonal flights to the Maldives and an increase in flights to Da Nang, Vietnam to two per day. Additionally, flights to Shanghai Pudong will be increased to four per day, while services to Hangzhou and Nanjing will become twice day.
Cathay Group
The Cathay Group is increasing flight frequencies between Hong Kong and mainland China this summer, with nearly 300 return flights per week during the peak period. The airline will provide more frequent flights to Beijing 56 return flights per week and Shanghai. 67 return flights per week between Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Flights from Hong Kong to Zhengzhou, Ningbo, Haikou, and Chongqing will increase to daily flights, with HK Express also adding daily flights to Ningbo this summer. Additionally, flights to Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wenzhou and Wuhan will be increased.
In addition, Cathay Pacific began direct flights to Urumqi in Xinjiang province on April 28 and is adding 13 new destinations this year, including Hyderabad, Dallas, Rome, Munich, and Brussels, with plans to reach 100 destinations by 2025.
Rome is its fourth new passenger destination in 2025, following Hyderabad, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Urumqi. The Munich service joins existing flights to Milan and expands Cathay’s European network to 12 cities.
Cathay Pacific will resume nonstop flights between Hong Kong and Adelaide on 11 November for the first time since 2019. Cathay Pacific will increase service between Hong Kong and Perth in Western Australia to twice daily from October.
Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam’s national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced the upcoming launch of the first-ever direct air route between Vietnam and Denmark, linking Ho Chi Minh City with Copenhagen, with three flights a week, starting from 15 December.
On 8 May, Vietnam Airlines resumed its direct flight service between Hanoi and Moscow, following a three-year suspension. Vietnam Airlines also launched two routes in May, from Hanoi to Bengaluru and to Hyderabad in India.
On 1 June, the airline inaugurated a direct flight route between Ho Chi Minh City and Bali. On July 1, Vietnam Airlines started direct flights between Hanoi and Milan,
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines will resume direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Brisbane from 29 November, restoring a key connection between Malaysia and Queensland. This marks Brisbane’s 33rd direct international route, bringing its network back to pre-pandemic levels.
Asiana
In the Asia-Europe market, Asiana Airlines launched a Seoul Incheon-Prague service on April 1. The airline currently flies to six destinations in Europe—Barcelona, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Paris and Rome.
T’way Air
T’way Air Korea is expanding its Singapore-South Korea network with a new Singapore–Jeju route alongside its Singapore–Incheon service. The new service will commence 16 August, 2025.
T’way Air has launched a new Jeju-Kaohsiung (Taiwan) service on 22 April, creating a direct link between Taiwan region’s south and South Korea’s island destination. This route marks T’way Air’s third direct connection between southern Taiwan region and South Korea, joining its Gimpo-Kaohsiung and Incheon-Kaohsiung services.
Air Cambodia
Air Cambodia has resumed its service between Sihanoukville and Bangkok. The airline also continues its daily service between Phnom Penh and Bangkok.
AirAsia, Scoot and Vietjet
AirAsia, Scoot and Vietjet have also announced new routes, as reported here.
Additionally, Scoot also recently new routes to Vietnam and Malaysia
Chinese Airlines
Mainland Chinese airlines are also expanding flights to Europe, as reported here.
