View from above: Iberia, Volotea, Lot Polish Airlines, Aegean Airlines, KLM, Croatia Airlines, etc.

Aegean Airlines is returning to Baghdad, becoming the first airline in 35 years to operate a direct flight between Europe and the Iraqi capital. According to the Iraqi Ministry of Transport, the Greek carrier’s arrival represents a crucial step, marking the beginning of a new phase in the recovery of the Iraqi aviation sector and its return to the European air network. European airlines have not operated direct flights to Baghdad since the early 1990s due to security concerns following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

LOT Polish Airlines‘ European expansion continues with the addition of a new route to Mallorca, which will be inaugurated on May 30, 2026. Flights from Warsaw will operate three times a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The flight departs from the Polish capital at 11:35 AM and lands in Palma de Mallorca at 2:50 PM local time. On this new route, the airline will operate Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft configured in two classes. The flight time is approximately 3 hours and 10 minutes.

On December 15th, the application deadline, a surprise occurred: Volotea partnered with ITA, the airline that succeeded Alitalia, to offer the most profitable routes, from Cagliari to Rome and from Olbia to Milan. The Italian airline no longer has the necessary fleet to directly serve these routes. Furthermore, it is essential for ITA that passengers from across the country have access to its long-haul hubs at Linate and, especially, Fiumicino airports. Volotea, which previously competed with Alitalia on these routes and already operates on the island, wants to offer its passengers more, and this partnership with ITA is an ideal complement.

However, this agreement goes beyond the Sardinia service. It provides a single ticket, with checked baggage to the final destination, on 118 routes departing from Rome Fiumicino Airport, from any airport served by Volotea.

The Iberia Group has scheduled 11,578 flights between December 19, 2020, and January 7, 2026, to meet travel demand during the Christmas period. In total, Iberia, Iberia Express, and Air Nostrum have put 1,887,989 seats on sale for these dates, prioritizing domestic and international routes in high demand.

The Dutch airline KLM will launch two new routes to Spain to serve its Amsterdam hub, one of the largest in Europe. These new routes will be operational from summer 2026. The route to Asturias Airport will be inaugurated on March 29, while the route to Galicia’s main airport, Santiago de Compostela, will operate its first flight on May 30.

TAP Air Portugal announces the appointment of Paloma Utrera as Country Manager for France. Effective January 1, 2026, she will be responsible for developing operations and strengthening the airline’s presence in the French market. With over twenty years of experience in aviation and tourism, Paloma Utrera has a strong background in sales, business development, and strategic management. Since 2022, she has led TAP Air Portugal’s operations in Spain, playing a key role in the post-Covid recovery of air traffic and the consolidation of the network of routes between Spain, Portugal, and intercontinental markets.

The CEO of Globalia and Air Europa, Juan José Hidalgo, will retain full control of the airline, even though Turkish Airlines, which currently owns 26% of the company, will join the board of directors. « I am the chairman, I have all the powers and all the positions, » emphasized Hidalgo, who has also held the position of deputy CEO since last week, an administrative role created due to a « signature issue. »

He also indicated that neither Turkish Airlines nor IAG (which owns 20% of Air Europa) had invested in the company. IAG will retain its 20% stake in Air Europa following Turkish Airlines’ entry into the market. These investments valued Air Europa at nearly €1.2 billion.

Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka will step down after six years at the helm of the African airline, which has begun the process of selecting his successor. During this transition period, the airline has appointed George Kamal, Chief Operating Officer, as interim CEO, effective December 16. Kamal has held operational roles at Middle Eastern airlines Air Arabia and Iraqi Air.