SpiceJet links South Asian mega-cities

Where? Kolkata (India) to Dhaka (Bangladesh)
When? Daily, effective 23 March 2017
Who? SpiceJet
Why? Low-cost carrier creates a short cross-border hop between mega-cities in the Bay of Bengal
Anything else? The flight time of approximately one hour compares to the 10-hour overland rail journey

PIA adds another UAE route

Where? Islamabad (Pakistan) to Sharjah (UAE)
When? Twice a week, effective 27 March 2017
Who? Pakistan International Airlines
Why? Rising trade between Islamic countries, plus a new route for overseas workers in the UAE
Anything else? Despite being the country’s capital, Islamabad is only the 10th largest city in Pakistan, in terms of population

Thai Smile boosts ASEAN connections

Where? Bangkok (Thailand) to Cebu (Philippines)
When? Daily, effective 3 May 2017
Who? Thai Smile
Why? Thai Airways’ regional carrier continues to expand operations across ASEAN destinations. Cebu will be its first destination in the Philippines
Anything else? Thai Smile recently switched its business model from low-cost to full-service, in an effort to better align its operations with Thai Airways

Air China goes trans-Pacific from Shenzhen

Where? Shenzhen (China) to Los Angeles (USA)
When? Three times a week, effective 6 July 2017
Who? Air China
Why? Rising demand for US-China traffic, especially from the highly populous Pearl River Delta region
Anything else? LA will become only the second long-haul destination Air China serves from Shenzhen, following Frankfurt