The New Airlines That Launched In 2024

The airline business is a notoriously difficult one to break into, but there have been some success stories (so far, at least) within the last decade. However, for every Breeze Airways or ZIPAIR, there are airlines like Bonza which promise much but ultimately fail to deliver.

At the beginning of the year, ch-aviation listed 27 startup airlines scheduled to launch operations at some point this year. While not all of these carriers stayed on schedule, there have been a handful of scheduled carriers that began flying in 2024.

AirHaifa

Stylized as airHaifa, the Israeli low-cost regional carrier launched its first flights on September 30th between Tel Aviv and Eilat with a small fleet of ATR 72-600s.

Since then, the airline has expanded its network to include Larnaca, Cyprus, and will launch a new route to Athens in January. Initially flying out of Tel Aviv, airHaifa switched operations to its namesake, Haifa Airport, in mid-October.

AirJapan

Low-cost carrier AirJapan launched (or relaunched) in February 2024 as a low-cost international subsidiary of All Nippon Airways (ANA).

Out of Tokyo Narita (NRT), the carrier operates a small but growing network currently comprised of Bangkok, Seoul Incheon and Singapore with a fleet of two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. It plans to boost its fleet to six Dreamliners by the end of 2025, opening up more route possibilities.

Asman Airlines

Kyrgyzstan’s Asman Airlines began operations in the final quarter of this year, taking delivery of two former Horizon Air De Havilland Dash 8s. According to a ch-aviation report, the airline has its eye on leasing two Airbus A320 aircraft next year to enable a European expansion.

However, this will prove difficult given the current EU ban on Kyrgyzstan airlines – however, the country is in the midst of reforming its aviation regulations, so time will tell if Asman can expand its reach into Europe.

Bees Airlines

Romanian carrier Bees Airlines (not to be confused with Ukraine’s Bees Airline) initially planned to operate as a charter airline but has since launched scheduled flights. The airline flies with a single Airbus A320 and operates routes to Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as services between Bucharest, Suceava and Chisinau.

However, in early December, Bees Airlines announced it would be suspending its scheduled routes, citing a lack of demand.

FlyGabon

Gabon has a new flag carrier called FlyGabon, which launched its first service in late August. Technically, the carrier is not a brand-new startup; it operates instead as the domestic arm of existing airline AfriJet.

The Gabonese flag carrier flies the ATR 72 and also received a single Airbus A320 airframe later on in the year, with plans to expand its fleet with five more jets in the coming years.

KM Malta Airlines

KM Malta Airlines replaced Maltese flag carrier Air Malta on March 31st and serves a dozen European destinations out of its Malta International Airport hub. The carrier inherited Air Malta’s new fleet of Airbus A320neos and has since expanded to eight aircraft.

However, much like its predecessor, KM Malta has not been performing well from a financial perspective, already incurring heavy losses in its nine months of operations.

Mont Gabaon Airlines

Operating out of Goma International Airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mont Gabaon Airlines is reported to have launched flights in mid-2024. The airline is known to have a fleet consisting of an ATR 72, a Boeing 737-500 and a former Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767.

Toki Air

Another Japanese entrant to the airline business, Toki Air, launched operations on January 31st, a day that was three-and-a-half years in the making following COVID-related delays. The low-cost carrier is based at Niigata Airport and currently flies to three domestic destinations, but more routes are on the way next year.

The airline operates an all-ATR fleet of three aircraft—two ATR72-600s and its first ATR42-600, which was delivered this month.

Delayed launches

A handful of airlines have been forced to push back their launches until next year – this includes India’s first ultra-low-cost carrier Air Kerala, Thailand’s Really Cool Airlines, as well as unique British startup Global Airlines, which will fly the Airbus A380.

For many of these airlines, supply chain constraints and aircraft delivery setbacks have forced them to delay their first flights until 2025.