The Northern Hemisphere winter timetable kicks in on Sunday, October 25, and with it comes a fresh wave of long-haul flying. Around this IATA slot-season switch, hundreds of routes launch worldwide — and among them are a handful of genuinely notable firsts that could shape how you plan a winter or even southern-summer trip.
The headline act is Finnair's first-ever service to Australia. From October 25, the airline flies daily from Helsinki to Melbourne via Bangkok, timed so that 1:15 AM departures from Finland connect with arrivals across the Nordics and Baltics. It makes Finnair the only EU-carrier serving Australia and the third European airline in the country alongside British Airways and Turkish Airlines. Flights arrive in Victoria at 7:20 AM the next morning — handy for an early start on the Great Ocean Road — with the return leaving Melbourne at 3:30 PM.
British Airways also lands a first: nonstop London Heathrow to Colombo starting October 23, three times weekly on a 777-200ER. It's the airline's first Sri Lanka service in its own right; previously it routed via the Maldives until 2015.
North America sees movement too. United returns to Tokyo's Haneda from Chicago on October 24 after a six-year gap, meaning it now flies from the Windy City to both Narita and Haneda. Air India begins Mumbai–Toronto on October 25, three times weekly — though the westbound leg makes a technical stop in Rome to refuel and swap crews, thanks to airspace detours around Russia, Pakistan and Iran. The return to Mumbai is nonstop.
The Gulf and beyond add their own firsts. Etihad launches Abu Dhabi–Calgary on October 25, making it the only Middle Eastern airline in the Canadian city. Arkia starts Tel Aviv–Tokyo Narita the same day, its longest route ever, initially on a leased A340-300 before switching to an A330-200. Belavia begins weekly Minsk–Bangkok flights — a network curiosity rather than a practical option for most Western travellers, given sanctions-related restrictions on the Belarusian carrier.
Perhaps the most surprising entry for sun-seekers: Air Canada's new Halifax–Tenerife service, two weekly A321XLR rotations from October 25. It's the first time Canada has had a direct link to the Canary Islands, and Air Canada will be the only North American airline on the archipelago — at least for now.
Why does this matter to travellers? New routes in their opening months often carry introductory fares, and competitive pressure can hold prices down on established rivals. More practically, these launches expand one-stop options: Helsinki's overnight timing opens Melbourne to Nordic and Baltic connections, while BA's Colombo nonstop removes a faffy connection for anyone heading to Sri Lanka's beaches or hill country. Delta's planned Riyadh route, by contrast, has slipped to March 2027 at the earliest, so don't build a Saudi itinerary around it just yet.
If any of these fit a winter-sun or Down Under plan, it's worth booking soon — new-route availability tends to be thinnest in the first weeks of operation.
