Lufthansa Adds Columbus and Phoenix as Alaska Heads to Osaka and Tahiti

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Two big announcements dominated the last 24 hours, and both touch the United States. Lufthansa Group released its summer 2027 schedule, which it calls its “most extensive route expansion since 2020.” The package includes first-ever nonstops from Frankfurt to Columbus, Ohio, and from Munich to Phoenix. Alaska Airlines also unveiled two new long-haul routes from Seattle, to Osaka and to Papeete (Tahiti), both flown by Hawaiian Airlines A330-200s. Smaller carriers in Asia and Central Asia added several new links too. No full route exits were announced in the window.

New Routes

Routes touching the US

Lufthansa: Frankfurt (FRA) – Columbus (CMH)
Starts: May 5, 2027
Frequency: 3x weekly (Wednesday, Friday, Sunday)
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 with Allegris cabins
This is Columbus’s first scheduled nonstop to another continent. LH406 leaves Frankfurt at 11:15 and reaches Columbus at 14:00. LH407 leaves Columbus at 16:20 and lands in Frankfurt at 06:15 the next morning. One Mile at a Time reports 287 seats (28 business, 28 premium economy, 231 economy) and says a JobsOhio-backed revenue guarantee program supports the route.

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Lufthansa: Munich (MUC) – Phoenix (PHX)
Starts: August 3, 2027
Frequency: 3x weekly (Tuesday, Friday, Sunday)
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Lufthansa’s second new US city for summer 2027. Flight times have not been published yet.

Alaska Airlines (operated by Hawaiian Airlines): Seattle (SEA) – Osaka Kansai (KIX)
Starts: May 14, 2027 (first return from Osaka May 15, 2027)
Frequency: 4x weekly, year-round
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
The airline release lists Seattle departures on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. AeroRoutes’ schedule listing shows a slightly different day pattern for the return leg, so we have used the airline release. Both Seattle routes are subject to government approval.

Alaska Airlines (operated by Hawaiian Airlines): Seattle (SEA) – Papeete, Tahiti (PPT)
Starts: June 11, 2027 (first return from Papeete June 12, 2027)
Frequency: 3x weekly (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday from Seattle), year-round
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Flight AS987 leaves Seattle at 23:55 and arrives in Papeete at 07:20 the next morning. The return, AS988, leaves Papeete at 17:00 and lands in Seattle at 06:00. Hawaiian keeps its existing Honolulu flights to both Osaka and Papeete.

Other new routes worldwide

Discover Airlines: Frankfurt (FRA) – Edmonton (YEG)
Starts: June 1, 2027
Frequency: 3x weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300 (per Travel-Dealz; the Lufthansa Group release does not name the aircraft)
A new nonstop link between Germany and Alberta.

Lufthansa: Frankfurt (FRA) – Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Starts: March 28, 2027
Frequency: Daily
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 (Allegris)
This adds to Lufthansa’s existing Frankfurt–Tokyo Haneda flights rather than replacing them.

ITA Airways: Rome Fiumicino (FCO) – Caracas (CCS)
Starts: March 30, 2027
Frequency: 3x weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday)
Aircraft: Airbus A330-900

ITA Airways: Rome Fiumicino (FCO) – Verona (VRN)
Starts: March 28, 2027
Frequency: TBA
Aircraft: TBA

SWISS: Zurich (ZRH) – Bengaluru (BLR)
Starts: TBA (summer 2027 schedule)
Frequency: 5x weekly
Aircraft: TBA

SWISS: Zurich (ZRH) – Toulouse (TLS)
Starts: June 25, 2027 (seasonal, through August 23, 2027)
Frequency: 2x weekly
Aircraft: TBA

Austrian Airlines: Vienna (VIE) – Beirut (BEY)
Starts: TBA (June 2027, seasonal through September)
Frequency: TBA
Aircraft: TBA
The Lufthansa Group release lists Beirut among its summer additions. AeroRoutes describes it as a tentative resumption of earlier service.

Brussels Airlines: Brussels (BRU) – Cairo (CAI)
Starts: TBA (summer 2027)
Frequency: 5x weekly
Aircraft: TBA

Brussels Airlines: Brussels (BRU) – Evenes, Norway (EVE)
Starts: TBA (summer 2027)
Frequency: TBA
Aircraft: TBA

Kam Air: Herat (HEA) – Dubai (DXB)
Starts: October 27, 2026
Frequency: 1x weekly
Aircraft: Boeing 737-300

S7 Airlines: Irkutsk (IKT) – Ulaanbaatar (UBN)
Starts: December 11, 2026
Frequency: 2x weekly
Aircraft: Embraer E170

Sun PhuQuoc Airways: Phu Quoc (PQC) – Ahmedabad (AMD)
Starts: December 2, 2026
Frequency: 5x weekly, rising to daily from February 2, 2027
Aircraft: Airbus A321neo

Cambodia Airways: Siem Reap (SAI) – Guangzhou (CAN)
Starts: November 17, 2026
Frequency: 3x weekly
Aircraft: Airbus A319

New routes at a glance

Routes Being Discontinued

We found no full route discontinuations announced in the past 24 hours. The route cuts in recent headlines, including American’s 2027 trims, Air Canada and WestJet’s transborder exits, and Air India’s European suspensions, were all announced several days ago, so they are not repeated here.

One related change: Cebu Pacific is reducing service to Australia in November but not leaving either route. Manila–Melbourne drops from 5x to 3x weekly from October 30, 2026, through November 22, 2026. Manila–Sydney drops from 7x to 3x weekly from November 2, 2026, through November 29, 2026. Aircraft: TBA.

Discontinued routes at a glance

Sources

• Lufthansa Group Newsroom: Summer 2027: Lufthansa Group Airlines announce most extensive route expansion since 2020
• One Mile at a Time: Lufthansa Will Fly To Columbus, Ohio, Thanks To $46.9 Million Revenue Guarantee Program
• Upgraded Points: Lufthansa Will Fly to Phoenix Starting Summer 2027
• Travel-Dealz: Lufthansa Group Adds Columbus, Edmonton & Phoenix for Summer 2027
• RusTourismNews: Lufthansa Group Announces Biggest Flight Expansion Since 2020 With 10 New Long-Haul Connections
• Alaska Airlines release (via Middletown Life): Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines expand global network with new nonstop service connecting Seattle with Osaka and Papeete
• AeroRoutes: Alaska Plans Seattle – Osaka / Tahiti 2Q27 Launch
• AeroRoutes: Austrian Tentatively Plans Beirut Service Resumption in NS27
• AeroRoutes: Kam Air Adds Herat – Dubai From late-Oct 2026
• AeroRoutes: S7 Airlines Plans Irkutsk – Ulaanbaatar Dec 2026 Launch
• AeroRoutes: Sun PhuQuoc Airways Plans Ahmedabad Dec 2026 Launch
• AeroRoutes: Cambodia Airways Adds Siem Reap – Guangzhou From Nov 2026
• AeroRoutes: Cebu Pacific Nov 2026 Australia Service Reductions