The German airline Eurowings has presented its winter flight schedule for the 2025/26 season, focusing on expanding its medium-haul flights.
The focus is on new destinations in the Gulf region and the Middle East, aimed at both vacationers and passengers visiting family and friends. Among other things, the airline is launching new direct connections from Düsseldorf to Dubai and from Stuttgart to Amman. This strategic growth, which Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof describes as a response to the most popular and successful routes in the winter schedule, underscores the company's ambitious expansion plans in these attractive markets.
Düsseldorf and Stuttgart in focus: New non-stop connections
Eurowings' route network will be strategically expanded in the upcoming winter flight schedule. The hubs in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg will be the focus of the expansion.
- Düsseldorf to Dubai: Starting December 13, 2025, Eurowings will, for the first time, connect the North Rhine-Westphalian capital directly with Dubai World Central (DWC) three times a week. The flights will be operated with an Airbus A320neo and depart on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The flight times are designed for daytime flights, allowing for afternoon arrivals in Dubai. With this new connection, Eurowings now flies directly to Dubai from a total of five German airports. Eurowings CEO Jen Bishop expressed its satisfaction with this development and emphasized that the connections to the Gulf region are among the most successful routes in the winter flight schedule.
- Stuttgart to Amman: Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, will also be getting a new direct connection to the Middle East. Starting October 27, 2025, Eurowings will fly up to twice a week to Amman, Jordan. The flights depart every Monday and Thursday and are aimed at tourists, as well as travelers who want to use the Jordanian capital as a base for exploring the region.
The launch of these new routes is a clear signal of Eurowings' strategic direction, which focuses on attractive medium-haul destinations that are relevant for both holiday and business travel.
Connections for family and home visits: A growing segment
Eurowings is expanding its offerings not only for leisure travelers, but also for passengers who maintain family or friendship contacts in their home region. This segment, often referred to as VFR ("Visiting Friends and Relatives") traffic, is playing an increasingly important role in air travel.
- Nuremberg and Cologne/Bonn to Erbil: Starting November 4, Eurowings will launch a new weekly flight from Nuremberg to Erbil, Iraq. The capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region in Iraq will also be served once a week from Cologne/Bonn in the winter flight schedule. The connection from Cologne/Bonn to Erbil already exists but will now also be continued in the winter flight schedule.
- Non-stop flights to Beirut: The Lebanese capital Beirut will be served non-stop from three additional airports for the first time in the 2025/26 winter flight schedule: Hanover (from November 6), Salzburg (from October 28), and Prague (from November 7). These new routes underscore Eurowings' efforts to include less frequently served but high-demand routes in its portfolio.
Eurowings CEO Bischof cites flights to these regions as a key pillar of the company's growth strategy. The company serves a specific demand here, often driven by ethnic communities and travelers visiting their families.
Broad range and price war: The expansion in numbers
Eurowings' planned expansion in the 2025/26 winter flight schedule is also reflected in a significant increase in frequencies on existing routes. Connections to the Gulf region, in particular, will be massively expanded.
- Dubai: With the new connection from Düsseldorf, Eurowings now flies to the desert metropolis from five German airports. The total number of weekly flights to the emirate increases to 28, more than ever before. Berlin, Cologne, Hanover, and Stuttgart are also seeing a significant increase in flights to Dubai.
- Jeddah: Connections to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, are also being increased. Eurowings now offers more flights from Cologne and Stuttgart.
The price war in the industry remains fierce. The entry-level prices announced by Eurowings of EUR 139,99 for Dubai and EUR 99,99 for Amman show that the airline continues to rely on a competitive pricing model to attract passengers.
Eurowings is relying on the new connections Airbus A320neo, an aircraft type that plays a central role in the company's fleet. This aircraft type is also used on other medium-haul routes. The fleet standardization strategy on these routes contributes to reducing operating costs and increasing efficiency, which is crucial in a highly competitive environment.