Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
Etihad, Emirates plan to expand Japan operations
Japan and UAE have strong trade, tourism and business ties, supported by 20 weekly flights of national carriers Etihad and Emirates. To meet the growing passenger demand, both carriers plan to expand their operations in the 'Land of the Rising Sun.'
Japan and the UAE have strong trade, tourism and business relations, which are supported by the frequent flights of national airlines Etihad Airways and Emirates, reported Wam.
Both carriers offer over 20 weekly flights to Japan. Etihad offers seven weekly flights to Tokyo, while Emirates offer daily services to Tokyo-Narita, Tokyo-Haneda and Osaka.
To meet the high demand for travel between the two countries, the two carriers plan to expand their operations in the 'Land of the Rising Sun.'
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) noted that the UAE and Japan have a long-standing history of bilateral relations. They signed an Air Services Agreement in 1998, which gave their airlines the right to fly regular and non-regular passenger flights, as well as air cargo flights, between the two countries.
The UAE’s national carriers serve Narita and Osaka with 21 flights per week, the GCAA added.
Etihad, which launched its first flight to Japan in March 2010, has been flying to Tokyo seven times a week ever since. Now it plans to boost flights to Japan in October, thus bringing its total number of weekly flights to 12.
It also plans to expand its service to Japan by adding flights to Osaka starting from October this year. Etihad Airways uses Boeing 787-9 aircraft for its Japan routes.
For its part, Emirates flies to 26 cities in 10 regions across Japan.
In the first half of this year, Emirati airports saw 46,776 passengers leaving to and 45,804 passengers arriving from Japan, the GCAA said, adding 357,214 passengers transited through the country’s airports, reported Wam.
Since 2002, Emirates has been flying daily to Osaka and Tokyo, with Narita and Haneda airports serving the Japanese capital.
Through its codeshare partnership with Japan Airlines (JAL), Emirates connects its customers to 26 cities across Japan and ten regional destinations via Tokyo and Osaka.
Emirates also marked 20 years of successful operations to Kansai International Airport in Osaka last year, becoming the first airline to link Japan and the Middle East in 2002.