New UK Civil Aviation Authority data shows more than 81 million passengers travelled through UK* airports between April and June, breaking last year’s record for travel in the same period. This continued the trend seen in the first three months of 2026 of holidaymakers flying in search of European sun. The number of passengers travelling to Madrid and Barcelona increased by 15% and 11% respectively.
United have announced the largest international network expansion in company history with 10 new international cities and three new routes across Europe and Asia, and debuted the newest international aircraft in its fleet, the ‘Born to Explore’ A321XLR, at an event at Newark Liberty International Airport. The announcement builds on nearly a decade of international growth, with United adding 58 international destinations to its route map since 2017. As the world’s largest airline,** United now flies to more than 160 international destinations.
Qantas Frequent Flyers are one step closer to the most significant changes to earning and retaining status since the program’s inception, first announced in February. From 8 December, members will be able to earn status through everyday spending, including credit cards, and roll over up to 50 per cent of their excess Status Credits from one year to the next for the first time in the program’s history[1].
Jetstar launched the first direct low-fares flights between Australia and Sri Lanka, with its inaugural Melbourne to Colombo service. The new year-round service will operate three times a week, adding more than 100,000 low-fares seats between Melbourne and Colombo, making it easier for Australians to visit Sri Lanka for less.
Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest budget carrier operator, today announced the launch of daily non-stop flights between Sharjah and Düsseldorf, starting 16 December 2026. Düsseldorf becomes Air Arabia’s third destination in Germany from Sharjah, joining Munich and Frankfurt as part of the airline’s growing European network. The new route will be operated by Air Arabia’s Airbus A320neo, offering customers a modern and comfortable cabin experience while delivering greater operational efficiency and improved fuel performance.
Emirates will deploy its new A350 aircraft on flights EK344/345 between Dubai and Kuala Lumpur from 1 September. This will expand the airline’s Premium Economy offering in the Malaysian capital to 52 seats daily, with the A350 joining the airline’s retrofitted Boeing 777 operating on EK346/347.
American Airlines is refreshing its onboard experience with a new menu of complimentary inflight snacks that offer a wider variety of sweet and savory options to Main Cabin guests. Guided by customer feedback and thoughtful testing, the updated lineup reflects how customers snack throughout the day while bringing greater choice and variety to the Main Cabin experience.
The Lufthansa Stopover Program—a collaboration between Munich Airport and Lufthansa—is being expanded: effective immediately, the offer is also available to Lufthansa passengers traveling from China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. Travelers from these countries now have the opportunity to extend their stay during a layover in Munich and explore the Bavarian state capital and its surrounding area. The joint initiative launched in the spring, initially covering Singapore and the USA. With this expansion into five additional international markets, even more international guests now have the chance to enjoy a short getaway in Munich and Bavaria.
Lufthansa is expanding its onboard culinary offerings and, starting in September, will provide passengers with additional options to personalize their travel experience. Onboard Delights: More Choices on Short- and Medium-Haul Flights
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EVA Air, Taiwan’s leading independent airline, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with leading global freight forwarder AIT Worldwide Logistics (AIT) to jointly advance EVA Air’s Green Transportation Programme over the next two years. In the first year of the collaboration, EVA Air will provide approximately 15,000 metric tonnes of CO₂e in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) environmental attributes to Microsoft, helping reduce the Scope 3 emissions associated with air transportation of its cloud infrastructure equipment. Microsoft and Formosa Petrochemical Corporation (FPCC) also attended the signing ceremony, demonstrating a shared goal across the aviation, energy, logistics and technology sectors to accelerate lower-carbon air transportation.
The World Aviation Festival (WAF), the world’s largest aviation technology event, has announced the launch of its Ancillary Arena pitch competition, set to take place at WAF 2026 in Lisbon. Inspired by Shark Tank and Dragons’ Den, the Ancillary Arena will give five shortlisted start-ups, entrepreneurs and independent innovators the opportunity to pitch their ancillary revenue concepts to a panel of five senior airline commercial leaders.
Tourism to Israel is poised for renewed momentum as leading U.S. and Canadian airlines prepare to restore nonstop service to Tel Aviv, expanding access from key North American gateway markets in the months ahead. The return of major carriers signals growing confidence in the market and provides travelers with more direct options to reach Israel as demand for travel rebounds.
Korean Air will launch a non-stop service between Seoul Incheon and Melbourne, operating three times a week from December 18 through March 14, 2027. Driven by steady growth in travel between South Korea and Australia, the new route complements Korean Air’s year-round operations to Sydney and Brisbane. The service provides travelers with expanded non-stop options to Australia’s key cultural and business hubs during the peak winter travel period.
Travellers booking Malaysia Airlines flights from the UK to Asia and Australasia can now uncover another side of Malaysia, with a complimentary domestic return flight from Kuala Lumpur, through the airline’s ‘Bonus Side Trip’ promotion. With only applicable taxes to pay, the offer allows travellers to add a stopover at one of eight Malaysian destinations on either their outbound or return journey. Among them is Kuantan, the capital of Pahang - Peninsular Malaysia’s largest state, where mountain ranges, vast rainforest, beaches and cascading waterfalls offer a scenic alternative to the country’s more well-known destinations. The promotion is available online or via travellers preferred agents.
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Fliggy, a leading online travel services platform and a wholly owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group and 89988 and Ryanair today announced a direct connectivity partnership that will enable Ryanair flights to be sold on Fliggy through Ryanair’s official API connection.
The countdown is on - Just three days to go , this Thursday 28 August, the global tourism industry will turn its attention to Zanzibar as the spectacular Diamonds Bijoux Resort prepares to host the first World Travel Awards event of 2026 – the prestigious Africa Gala Ceremony. With just days to go, guests, nominees and tourism dignitaries from across Africa and beyond are making their way to the region for what promises to be one of the most anticipated nights on the continent’s tourism calendar.
British holidaymakers can now book TUI Airways charter flights to Djerba, one of Tunisia’s lesser-known islands, offering great value holidays from £659 and summer temperatures reaching around 34°C. The new charter service from London Gatwick will launch for Summer 2027 and run twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, meaning customers can be on the island in around three hours and 15 minutes as part of their TUI holiday.
flynas, the leading low-cost airline in the world and the best LCC in the Middle East, announced the commencement of construction of an advanced training center in Riyadh, with an estimated investment exceeding SAR 200 million, in collaboration with leading global and local companies, including Airbus, CAE, and Restart, aiming to enhance its training capabilities and develop national talent in the aviation sector.
Holidaymakers travelling through Barcelona in the coming weeks are being warned to prepare for possible flight and baggage disruption as an indefinite ground handling strike at Barcelona-El Prat Airport continues with no announced end date. Groundforce workers at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport began indefinite industrial action on 4 August. The company provides services including check-in, boarding, baggage handling and flight coordination for around 20 airlines at the airport.
Arajet, the Dominican Republic’s flag carrier, joined the Miami Marlins and the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism to celebrate Dominican Heritage Day at loanDepot park, a special event dedicated to honoring the culture, music, traditions and pride of the Dominican community in South Florida.