Fifth freedom flights are international routes that neither start nor end in the operating airline’s home country. They typically operate as a “tag flight” extension to a flight that originates in the airline’s hub.
For example, Qantas flight QF1 operates from Sydney to London via Singapore. The Singapore-London leg of QF1 is a fifth-freedom flight because Qantas is able to sell tickets to passengers who are just travelling on the Singapore-London portion – even though Qantas is an Australian airline.
Qantas also operates a fifth-freedom route from Auckland to New York.
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In another example, Star Alliance member EVA Air operates three fifth-freedom routes between Bangkok and Europe. These flights all start and end in the carrier’s home airport of Taipei.
Emirates has also just announced two interesting new fifth freedom routes. The airline will launch daily Dubai-Singapore-Phnom Penh flights in May and Dubai-Miami-Bogota flights in June 2024.
Fifth-freedom flights can be great for numerous reasons:
- They’re usually cheap
- Excellent award availability
- They typically use wide-body long-haul aircraft
- An opportunity to sample airlines you would otherwise never fly
- Can be handy for round-the-world bookings when you want to fly somewhere other than an alliance hub airport
Our list of fifth-freedom routes
Wondering what other fifth-freedom routes exist? We’ve put together a complete list of global fifth-freedom routes!
The table below includes all known international tag flights that can be booked as standalone journeys. This list is in alphabetical order by airline and is updated periodically.
| Airline | Origin | Destination | Notes | Last Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegean | Larnaca (LCA) | Bucharest (OTP) | Summer seasonal route; new route since COVID-19 | 27/01/23 |
| Aegean | Skopje (SKP) | Sarajevo (SJJ) | 09/05/24 | |
| Aer Lingus | Manchester (MAN) | Bridgetown (BGI) | 11/12/23 | |
| Aer Lingus | Manchester (MAN) | New York (JFK) | 11/12/23 | |
| Aer Lingus | Manchester (MAN) | Orlando (MCO) | 11/12/23 | |
| Air Botswana | Harare (HRE) | Lusaka (LUN) | One-way only | 29/02/24 |
| Aircalin | Nadi (NAN) | Papeete (PPT) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful | 11/12/23 |
| Aircalin | Nadi (NAN) | Wallis Island (WLS) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful | 11/12/23 |
| Air Cairo | Ouagadougou (OUA) | Dakar (DSS) | 29/02/24 | |
| Air Canada | Sao Paulo (GRU) | Buenos Aires (EZE) | 11/12/23 | |
| Air Canada | London (LHR) | Mumbai (BOM) | 11/12/23 | |
| Air Caraïbes | Cancun (CUN) | Paris (ORY) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful | 11/12/23 |
| Air China | Madrid (MAD) | Sao Paulo (GRU) | Starts 28/04/24 | 18/03/24 |
| Air China | Madrid (MAD) | Havana (HAV) | Starts 11/06/24 | 23/04/24 |
| Air Cote D’Ivoire | Libreville (LBV) | Cotonou (COO) | 11/12/23 | |
| Air France | Los Angeles (LAX) | Papeete (PPT) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful | 19/06/24 |
| Air Niugini | Honiara (HIR) | Nadi (NAN) | 11/12/23 | |
| Air Peace | Abidjan (ABJ) | Dakar (DSS) | 29/02/24 | |
| Air Peace | Banjul (BJL) | Dakar (DSS) | 29/02/24 | |
| Air Senegal | Banjul (BJL) | Freetown (FNA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Air Senegal | Cotonou (COO) | Douala (DLA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Air Senegal | Douala (DLA) | Libreville (LBV) | 11/12/23 | |
| Air Tahiti Nui | Los Angeles (LAX) | Paris (CDG) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful | 11/12/23 |
| Air Tahiti Nui | Seattle (SEA) | Paris (CDG) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful; seasonal | 11/12/23 |
| Air Tanzania | Harare (HRE) | Lusaka (LUN) | One-way only | 29/02/24 |
| Air Tanzania | Lusaka (LUN) | Lubumbashi (FBM) | One-way only | 11/12/23 |
| Azores Airlines | Funchal (FNC) | New York (JFK) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful | 11/12/23 |
| Azul | Curacao (CUR) | Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Starts 09/12/2024 | 11/08/24 |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Denpasar (DPS) | Brisbane (BNE) | 11/12/23 | |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Denpasar (DPS) | Sydney (SYD) | 11/12/23 | |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Denpasar (DPS) | Melbourne (MEL) | 11/12/23 | |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Denpasar (DPS) | Perth (PER) | 11/12/23 | |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Perth (PER) | Auckland (AKL) | 11/12/23 | |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Taipei (TPE) | Sapporo (CTS) | Seasonal | 11/12/23 |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Taipei (TPE) | Osaka (KIX) | 11/12/23 | |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Taipei (TPE) | Nagoya (NGO) | 11/12/23 | |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Taipei (TPE) | Okinawa (OKA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Batik Air Malaysia | Taipei (TPE) | Tokyo (NRT) | 11/12/23 | |
| Bhutan Airlines | Calcutta (CCU) | Bangkok (BKK) | 11/12/23 | |
| Bhutan Airlines | Delhi (DEL) | Kathmandu (KTM) | 11/12/23 | |
| British Airways | Singapore (SIN) | Sydney (SYD) | 29/02/24 | |
| British Airways | Rio de Janeiro (GIG) | Buenos Aires (EZE) | 29/02/24 | |
| British Airways | Nassau (NAS) | Grand Cayman (GCM) | 29/02/24 | |
| British Airways | Nassau (NAS) | Providenciales (PLS) | 29/02/24 | |
| British Airways | Antigua (ANU) | Aruba (AUA) | 29/02/24 | |
| British Airways | Antigua (ANU) | St Kitts (SKB) | 29/02/24 | |
| British Airways | Saint Lucia (UVF) | Grenada (GND) | 29/02/24 | |
| British Airways | Saint Lucia (UVF) | Tobago (TAB) | 29/02/24 | |
| British Airways | Saint Lucia (UVF) | Georgetown (GEO) | 29/02/24 | |
| Brussels Airlines | Freetown (FNA) | Monrovia (ROB) | In one direction only | 11/12/23 |
| Caribbean Airlines | Georgetown (GEO) | New York (JFK) | 11/12/23 | |
| Cathay Pacific | Taipei (TPE) | Nagoya (NGO) | 11/12/23 | |
| Cathay Pacific | Taipei (TPE) | Osaka (KIX) | 11/12/23 | |
| Cathay Pacific | Taipei (TPE) | Tokyo (NRT) | 11/12/23 | |
| Cathay Pacific | Bangkok (BKK) | Singapore (SIN) | 19/06/24 | |
| China Airlines | Brisbane (BNE) | Auckland (AKL) | 19/06/24 | |
| China Airlines | Melbourne (MEL) | Auckland (AKL) | Starts 03/12/24 | 25/06/24 |
| China Eastern | Sydney (SYD) | Auckland (AKL) | 11/12/23 | |
| Copa Airlines | San Jose (SJO) | Guatemala (GUA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Copa Airlines | Managua (MGA) | Guatemala (GUA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Copa Airlines | San Jose (SJO) | Managua (MGA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Discover Airlines | Windhoek (WDH) | Victoria Falls (VFA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Druk Air | Bagdogra (IXB) | Bangkok (BKK) | 11/12/23 | |
| Druk Air | Dhaka (DAC) | Bangkok (BKK) | 11/12/23 | |
| Druk Air | Guwahati (GAU) | Singapore (SIN) | 11/12/23 | |
| EgyptAir | Dar es Salaam (DAR) | Moroni (HAH) | Only one direction | 11/12/23 |
| EgyptAir | Kigali (KGL) | Entebbe (EBB) | 11/12/23 | |
| Emirates | Sydney (SYD) | Christchurch (CHC) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Singapore (SIN) | Melbourne (MEL) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Singapore (SIN) | Phnom Penh (PNH) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Bangkok (BKK) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Male (MLE) | Colombo (CMB) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Larnaca (LCA) | Malta (MLA) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Athens (ATH) | Newark (EWR) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Milan (MXP) | New York (JFK) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Accra (ACC) | Abidjan (ABJ) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Harare (HRE) | Lusaka (LUN) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Conakry (CKY) | Dakar (DSS) | One direction only | 19/06/24 |
| Emirates | Rio de Janeiro (GIG) | Buenos Aires (EZE) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Barcelona (BCN) | Mexico City (MEX) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Miami (MIA) | Bogota (BOG) | 19/06/24 | |
| Emirates | Seychelles (SEZ) | Antananarivo (TNR) | Starts 03/09/24 | 19/06/24 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Singapore (SIN) | Kuala Lumpur (KUL) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Bangkok (BKK) | Hong Kong (HKG) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Seoul (ICN) | Tokyo (NRT) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Sao Paulo (GRU) | Buenos Aires (EZE) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Stockholm (ARN) | Oslo (OSL) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Geneva (GVA) | Manchester (MAN) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Milan (MXP) | Zurich (ZRH) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Lome (LFW) | Newark (EWR) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Lome (LFW) | Washington (IAD) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Abidjan (ABJ) | New York (JFK) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Abidjan (ABJ) | Conakry (CKY) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Harare (HRE) | Lusaka (LUN) | 29/02/24 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Bamako (BKO) | Dakar (DSS) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Blantyre (BLZ) | Johannesburg (JNB) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Kigali (KGL) | Bujumbura (BJM) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Malabo (SSG) | Douala (DLA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Lilongwe (LLW) | Lusaka (LUN) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Lilongwe (LLW) | Harare (HRE) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Dar es Salaam (DAR) | Blantyre (BLZ) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Yaounde (NSI) | Libreville (LBV) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Ouagadougou (OUA) | Conakry (CKY) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Abidjan (ABJ) | Conakry (CKY) | 11/12/23 | |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Ouagadougou | Freetown (FNA) | Starts 31/05/24 | 06/02/24 |
| EVA Air | Bangkok (BKK) | Vienna (VIE) | 19/06/24 | |
| EVA Air | Bangkok (BKK) | Amsterdam (AMS) | 19/06/24 | |
| EVA Air | Bangkok (BKK) | London (LHR) | 19/06/24 | |
| Fiji Airways | Apia (APW) | Honolulu (HNL) | 19/06/24 | |
| Fiji Airways | Kiribati (CXI) | Honolulu (HNL) | 19/06/24 | |
| Finnair | Copenhagen (CPH) | Doha (DOH) | 19/06/24 | |
| Finnair | Stockholm (ARN) | Doha (DOH) | 19/06/24 | |
| Finnair | Stockholm (ARN) | Bergen (BGO) | 19/06/24 | |
| Finnair | Faro (FAO) | Lanzarote (ACE) | Seasonal, starts 27/10/24 | 16/11/23 |
| flydubai | Male (MLE) | Colombo (CMB) | 11/12/23 | |
| French bee | San Francisco (SFO) | Papeete (PPT) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful | 29/02/24 |
| GOL Linhas Aereas | Bogota (BOG) | Buenos Aires (EZE) | 19/06/24 | |
| Gulf Air | Colombo (CMB) | Male (MLE) | 29/02/24 | |
| Gulf Air | Bangkok (BKK) | Singapore (SIN) | 29/02/24 | |
| Gulf Air | Larnaca (LCA) | Athens (ATH) | 04/03/24 | |
| Gulf Air | Milan (MXP) | Geneva (GVA) | Seasonal | 31/05/24 |
| Jetstar | Auckland (AKL) | Rarotonga (RAR) | 19/06/24 | |
| Jetstar Asia | Manila (MNL) | Osaka (KIX) | 11/12/23 | |
| Kenya Airways | Bangkok (BKK) | Guangzhou (CAN) | 11/12/23 | |
| Kenya Airways | Abidjan (ABJ) | Dakar (DSS) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Accra (ACC) | Dakar (DSS) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Freetown (FNA) | Accra (ACC) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Monrovia (ROB) | Accra (ACC) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Entebbe (EBB) | Bangui (BGF) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Bangui (BGF) | Douala (DLA) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Livingstone (LVI) | Cape Town (CPT) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Victoria Falls (VFA) | Cape Town (CPT) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Harare (HRE) | Lusaka (LUN) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Lilongwe (LLW) | Nampula (APL) | 29/02/24 | |
| Kenya Airways | Lubumbashi (FBM) | Ndola (NLA) | 29/02/24 | |
| KLM | Singapore (SIN) | Denpasar (DPS) | 19/06/24 | |
| KLM | Kuala Lumpur (KUL) | Jakarta (CGK) | 19/06/24 | |
| KLM | Buenos Aires (EZE) | Santiago (SCL) | 19/06/24 | |
| LAM Mozambique | Harare (HRE) | Lusaka (LUN) | 29/02/24 | |
| LATAM Airlines | Auckland (AKL) | Sydney (SYD) | 29/02/24 | |
| LATAM Airlines | Punta Cana (PUJ) | Miami (MIA) | 11/12/23 | |
| LATAM Airlines | Bogota (BOG) | Madrid (MAD) | Starts 03/07/24 | 11/12/23 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Budapest (BUD) | Seoul (ICN) | 11/12/23 | |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Vilnius (VNO) | London City (LCY) | 11/12/23 | |
| Mauritanian Airlines | Conakry (CKY) | Dakar (DSS) | 11/12/23 | |
| Mauritanian Airlines | Bamako (BKO) | Dakar (DSS) | 11/12/23 | |
| Mauritanian Airlines | Libreville (LBV) | Cotonou (COO) | 11/12/23 | |
| MIAT Mongolian Airlines | Bishkek (FRU) | Istanbul (IST) | Limited seasonal flights only | 04/03/23 |
| Nauru Airlines | Tarawa (TRW) | Majuro (MAJ) | 11/12/23 | |
| Nauru Airlines | Majuro (MAJ) | Pohnpei (PNI) | 11/12/23 | |
| Nauru Airlines | Pohnpei (PNI) | Koror (ROR) | Island Hopper | 11/12/23 |
| Nauru Airlines | Tarawa (TRW) | Kiribati (CXI) | Island Hopper | 11/12/23 |
| Nauru Airlines | Brisbane (BNE) | Koror (ROR) | Starts 21/05/24 | 07/05/24 |
| Qantas | Singapore (SIN) | London (LHR) | 19/06/24 | |
| Qantas | Auckland (AKL) | New York (JFK) | 19/06/24 | |
| Qatar Airways | Lusaka (LUN) | Harare (HRE) | 29/02/24 | |
| Qatar Airways | Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) | Phnom Penh (PNH) | 29/02/24 | |
| Royal Air Maroc | Bissau (OXB) | Praia (RAI) | 29/02/24 | |
| Royal Air Maroc | Douala (DLA) | Bangui (BGF) | One direction only | 29/02/24 |
| Royal Brunei | Dubai (DXB) | London (LHR) | 29/02/24 | |
| RwandAir | Harare (HRE) | Cape Town (CPT) | 11/12/23 | |
| RwandAir | Abuja (ABV) | Accra (ACC) | 11/12/23 | |
| RwandAir | Douala (DLA) | Cotonou (COO) | 11/12/23 | |
| RwandAir | Libreville (LBV) | Cotonou (COO) | 11/12/23 | |
| RwandAir | Douala (DLA) | Bangui (BGF) | 29/02/24 | |
| RwandAir | Brazzaville (BZV) | Douala (DLA) | 11/12/23 | |
| RwandAir | Entebbe (EBB) | Mumbai (BOM) | 11/12/23 | |
| Scoot | Taipei (TPE) | Seoul (ICN) | 29/02/24 | |
| Scoot | Taipei (TPE) | Tokyo (NRT) | 29/02/24 | |
| Scoot | Taipei (TPE) | Sapporo (CTS) | 29/02/24 | |
| Scoot | Athens (ATH) | Berlin (BER) | During Northern Winter | 29/02/24 |
| Singapore Airlines | Milan (MXP) | Barcelona (BCN) | 19/06/24 | |
| Singapore Airlines | Frankfurt (FRA) | New York (JFK) | 19/06/24 | |
| Singapore Airlines | Manchester (MAN) | Houston (IAH) | 19/06/24 | |
| Singapore Airlines | Tokyo (NRT) | Los Angeles (LAX) | 19/06/24 | |
| Sky Airline | Montevideo (MVD) | Salvador (SSA) | 22/02/24 | |
| Sky Airline | Montevideo (MVD) | Florianópolis (FLN) | 22/02/24 | |
| Solomon Airlines | Auckland (AKL) | Port Vila (VLI) | 01/06/24 | |
| Solomon Airlines | Brisbane (BNE) | Port Vila (VLI) | 01/06/24 | |
| Somon Air | Trabzon (TZX) | Munich (MUC) | 11/12/23 | |
| South African Airways | Accra (ACC) | Abidjan (ABJ) | 11/12/23 | |
| Surinam Airways | Georgetown (GEO) | Miami (MIA) | 29/02/24 | |
| Surinam Airways | Aruba (AUA) | Curaçao (CUR) | 29/02/24 | |
| Surinam Airways | Curaçao (CUR) | Miami (MIA) | 29/02/24 | |
| Surinam Airways | Georgetown (GEO) | Bridgetown (BGI) | 29/02/24 | |
| SWISS | Sao Paulo (GRU) | Buenos Aires (EZE) | 29/02/24 | |
| TAP Air Portugal | Accra (ACC) | Sao Tome (TMS) | 29/02/24 | |
| Thai AirAsia | Kaohsiung (KHH) | Tokyo (NRT) | Starts 16/06/24 | 15/03/24 |
| Thai AirAsia | Taipei (TPE) | Okinawa (OKA) | Starts 15/06/24 | 22/03/24 |
| Thai Vietjet Air | Taipei (TPE) | Osaka (KIX) | 11/12/23 | |
| Tunisair | Dakar (DSS) | Conakry (CKY) | 11/12/23 | |
| Tunisair | Abidjan (ABJ) | Ouagadougou (OUA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Turkish Airlines | Sao Paulo (GRU) | Buenos Aires (EZE) | 05/09/24 | |
| Turkish Airlines | Sao Paulo (GRU) | Santiago (SCL) | Starts 18/12/24 | 05/09/24 |
| Turkish Airlines | Ouagadougou (OUA) | Conakry (CKY) | 11/12/23 | |
| Turkish Airlines | Ouagadougou (OUA) | Freetown (FNA) | 11/12/23 | |
| Turkish Airlines | N’Djamena (NDJ) | Niamey (NIM) | 11/12/23 | |
| Turkish Airlines | Libreville (LBV) | Pointe-Noire (PNR) | New | 27/01/23 |
| Turkish Airlines | Libreville (LBV) | Luanda (LAD) | 11/12/23 | |
| Turkish Airlines | Singapore (SIN) | Melbourne (MEL) | 01/03/24 | |
| United Airlines | Koror (ROR) | Manila (MNL) | 11/12/23 | |
| United Airlines | Kwajalein (KWA) | Kosrae (KSA) | Part of the Island Hopper | 11/12/23 |
| United Airlines | Kwajalein (KWA) | Pohnpei (PNI) | Part of the Island Hopper | 11/12/23 |
| United Airlines | Majuro (MAJ) | Pohnpei (PNI) | Part of the Island Hopper | 11/12/23 |
| United Airlines | Chuuk (TKK) | Pohnpei (PNI) | Part of the Island Hopper | 11/12/23 |
| United Airlines | Tokyo (NRT) | Saipan (SPN) | Not technically fifth-freedom but useful | 11/12/23 |
| United Airlines | Tokyo (NRT) | Cebu (CEB) | Starts 27/10/24 | 10/04/24 |
| Vietnam Airlines | Vientiane (VTE) | Phnom Penh (PNH) | 19/06/24 | |
| Vietnam Airlines | Luang Prabang (LPQ) | Siem Reap (SAI) | 19/06/24 | |
| Virgin Atlantic | Bridgetown (BGI) | Grenada (GND) | 11/12/23 | |
| Virgin Atlantic | Bridgetown (BGI) | St Vincent (SVD) | 11/12/23 |
To discuss fifth-freedom routes, or suggest a route that should be added to this list, please feel free to join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum!
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