Route Roundup: Qatar Airways Picks Western Sydney, Contour Takes Over DuBois (Oct. 22, 2026)

Thursday, October 22, 2026

Qatar Airways became the first Middle Eastern carrier to commit to Sydney’s new Western Sydney International Airport, with Boeing 777-300ER flights to Doha due to start in December 2027. In the US, Contour Airlines has confirmed it will take over Essential Air Service at DuBois, Pennsylvania, on February 1, 2027. It will fly to Atlanta and Chicago O’Hare, and Southern Airways Express will leave the airport the day before. In Europe, Brussels Airlines adds Cairo and a summer Arctic Norway run, SWISS brings back Toulouse, PIA returns to Birmingham, and Wizz Air and easyJet filed 17 more short-haul routes between them.

New Routes

Qatar Airways: Doha (DOH) – Western Sydney International (WSI)

• Starts: December 15, 2027
• Frequency: 3x weekly. QR906 leaves Doha on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and QR907 returns on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Qatar plans to go daily as demand grows.
• Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (42 business, 312 economy)

Qatar is the first Middle Eastern airline signed up for the new airport, also known as Nancy-Bird Walton. Tickets go on sale December 19, 2026. One Western Sydney University academic called it “a very strong start for a new airport.” Another expert linked the late start date to Middle East tensions and volatile fuel prices.

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Contour Airlines: DuBois, PA (DUJ) – Atlanta (ATL) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

• Starts: February 1, 2027
• Frequency: DUJ–ATL daily. DUJ–ORD 5x weekly (Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun).
• Aircraft: 30-seat regional jet (exact type TBA)

Contour confirmed the routes on October 21 under the federal Essential Air Service program. Regulators chose Contour for DuBois earlier this month. The new flights connect the small western Pennsylvania airport to two major hubs in place of today’s Pittsburgh and Washington flights (see Discontinued below).

PIA: Islamabad (ISB) – Birmingham (BHX), resuming

• Starts: December 1, 2026
• Frequency: 3x weekly
• Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LR at launch, switching to 777-200ER from December 10, 2026

PIA opened bookings on October 21. This brings back a route the airline last flew in 2022. PIA is also putting leased 787-9s on several Heathrow and Manchester flights this winter.

Brussels Airlines: Brussels (BRU) – Cairo (CAI)

• Starts: March 29, 2027
• Frequency: 5x weekly
• Aircraft: Airbus A320neo

Brussels–Cairo was last flown by Sabena, which dropped it in March 1991. The route is part of the Lufthansa Group’s summer 2027 network expansion.

Brussels Airlines: Brussels (BRU) – Harstad-Narvik/Evenes (EVE), seasonal

• Starts: June 20, 2027 (runs through August 22, 2027)
• Frequency: 1x weekly
• Aircraft: Airbus A319

Brussels Airlines has flown to Evenes in winter before. This adds a summer season in northern Norway.

SWISS: Zurich (ZRH) – Toulouse (TLS), resuming seasonally

• Starts: June 25, 2027 (runs through August 23, 2027)
• Frequency: 2x weekly
• Aircraft: Airbus A220-300 and Embraer E195-E1 (the E195 flights are operated by Helvetic Airways)

SWISS last served Toulouse in January 2016.

easyJet: six newly filed routes

AeroRoutes added these six to easyJet’s winter 2026/27 additions in its October 21 update:

• Barcelona (BCN) – Aberdeen (ABZ): from February 6, 2027; 2x weekly; Airbus A319
• Belfast International (BFS) – Aberdeen (ABZ): from January 4, 2027; 2x weekly; Airbus A319/A320
• Belfast International (BFS) – Rome Fiumicino (FCO): from October 23, 2026; 2x weekly; Airbus A319/A320
• Bristol (BRS) – Strasbourg (SXB): November 20 to December 21, 2026; 2x weekly; Airbus A320 (A320/A321neo from November 27)
• London Luton (LTN) – Pristina (PRN): from December 7, 2026; 3x weekly; Airbus A319/A320
• Manchester (MAN) – Southampton (SOU): from December 4, 2026; 2x weekly; Airbus A320

Wizz Air: 11 newly filed routes

AeroRoutes listed these 11 as new in its October 21 update of Wizz Air’s winter 2026/27 additions. They center on Naples, Pristina and Suceava, Romania:

• Naples (NAP) – Basel/Mulhouse (BSL): from March 2, 2027; 4x weekly; Airbus A321neo
• Naples (NAP) – Genoa (GOA): from March 2, 2027; 4x weekly; Airbus A321neo
• Naples (NAP) – Nice (NCE): from March 2, 2027; 5x weekly; Airbus A321neo
• Naples (NAP) – Palermo (PMO): from March 1, 2027; daily; Airbus A321neo
• Pristina (PRN) – Berlin (BER): from December 18, 2026; 2x weekly; Airbus A321neo
• Pristina (PRN) – Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN): from December 16, 2026; 2x weekly; Airbus A321neo
• Pristina (PRN) – Hamburg (HAM): from December 17, 2026; 2x weekly; Airbus A321neo
• Pristina (PRN) – Malmö (MMX): from December 15, 2026; 2x weekly; Airbus A321neo
• Suceava (SCV) – Berlin (BER): from December 17, 2026; 3x weekly (2x weekly January 13 to March 23, 2027); Airbus A321ceo
• Suceava (SCV) – Prague (PRG): from December 18, 2026; 3x weekly (2x weekly January 13 to March 20, 2027); Airbus A321ceo
• Suceava (SCV) – Turin (TRN): from December 18, 2026; 2x weekly; Airbus A321ceo

New Routes at a Glance

Routes Being Discontinued

Southern Airways Express: DuBois, PA (DUJ) – Pittsburgh (PIT) and Washington Dulles (IAD)

• Last day of service: January 31, 2027

Southern runs both routes under the Essential Air Service program and will leave DuBois when Contour takes over the next day. Travelers from DuBois will lose their direct links to Pittsburgh and Washington but gain flights to Atlanta and Chicago.

This was the only route ending or suspension announced in the past 24 hours that we could confirm.

Discontinued Routes at a Glance

Sources

• The Canberra Times: Qatar Airways to fly from Western Sydney International Airport
• TravelDailyNews: Qatar Airways to launch Western Sydney flights in December 2027
• Aviation A2Z: Qatar Airways Launching 777 Flights to This New Australian Airport
• Aviation Week: Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C Oct. 19, 2026)
• AirlineGeeks: Contour to Take Over Service at PA Airport
• WJAC-TV: Contour Airlines tabbed as next essential air service provider at DuBois Regional Airport
• Wikipedia: DuBois Regional Airport
• AeroRoutes: PIA Resumes Birmingham in Dec 2026; UK NW26 Service Changes
• AeroRoutes: Brussels Airlines Adds Cairo Service in NS27
• AeroRoutes: Brussels Airlines Adds Harstad-Narvik/Evenes Summer Service in mid-2027
• AeroRoutes: SWISS Resumes Zurich – Toulouse in NS27
• Aviation A2Z: Lufthansa Group Unveils Massive Summer 2027 Expansion With 10 New Long-Haul Routes
• AeroRoutes: easyJet NW26 Network Additions – 18OCT26
• AeroRoutes: Wizz Air NW26 Network Additions – 18OCT26