Tag Archives: Tokyo

Air New Zealand revises its inaugural Boeing 787-9 routes to Tokyo and Shanghai

Air New Zealand (Auckland) is now planning to introduce the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the Auckland-Tokyo (Narita) route on November 14, 2014 according to Airline Route. The new type will also be introduced on the Auckland-Shanghai (Pudong) route starting on November 30.

The initial inaugural route of Boeing 787-9 service remains the Auckland-Perth route effective on October 15. All schedules are subject to change pending certificate and delivery of the new type.

In other news, Air New Zealand welcomed the decision, which is the first of two regulatory approvals required, from the Competition Commission of Singapore concerning the proposed alliance between Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines (Singapore). The alliance is also subject to the approval of the New Zealand Minister of Transport.

The Competition Commission of Singapore has found that any competition concerns associated with the proposed alliance are outweighed by the net economic benefits to Singapore.

Copyright Photo: Bernie Leighton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-9 ZK-NZE (msn 34334) is pictured at Paine Field near Everett, Washington fresh out of the paint shop (see video below).

Air New Zealand:

Video: The painting of the first ANZ Boeing 787-9:

Japan Airlines to start charter flights to Rome and Milan from Haneda Airport on July 2

Japan Airlines-JAL (Tokyo) has announced it will operate charter flights departing from Tokyo (Haneda) to Rome and Milan (Malpensa) starting on July 2, 2014. The charter flights will be operated with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners.

Schedule:

JAL-Japan Airlines:

Japan Airlines will launch JAL SKY NEXT on May 28 from Tokyo Haneda to Fukuoka

Japan Airlines (JAL) (Tokyo) will launch its first JAL SKY NEXT service between Tokyo (Haneda) and Fukuoka on May 28, 2014. A total of 77 aircraft are scheduled to be revamped sequentially and will be progressively introduced on domestic routes.

JAL SKY NEXT will provide updated cabin interior with all-leather seats and LED lighting. Additionally, the in-flight internet service-JAL SKY Wi-Fi with new in-flight entertainment website will be introduced on domestic routes to deliver more comfortable travel experience and convenience to customers.

The first type with the new service standard will be the Boeing 777-200.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by JAL): Akira Uekawa/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-246 JA8984 (msn 27651) in the special “Sky Eco” livery departs from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

JAL-Japan Airlines:

Japan Airlines and Korean Air to expand their codeshare agreement

JAL-Japan Airlines (Tokyo) and Korean Air (Seoul), both codeshare partners since 2004, have agreed to further expand their codeshare flights on all routes and flights operated by Korean Air between Japan and South Korea from April 22, 2014.

Flight Number	Route	Dep. Time (Local time)	Arr. Time (Local time)	Days of Operation
JL5253 / KE768	Aomori – Seoul (Incheon)	13:25	16:00	Wed. Fri. Sun.
JL5252 / KE767	Seoul (Incheon) – Aomori	10:10	12:30	Wed. Fri. Sun.
JL5255 / KE770	Akita – Seoul (Incheon)	13:50	16:20	Mon. Thu. Sat.
JL5254 / KE769	Seoul (Incheon)-Akita	10:30	12:45	Mon. Thu. Sat.
JL5257 / KE720	Haneda – Seoul (Incheon)	06:25	08:50	Daily
JL5256 / KE719	Seoul (Incheon) – Haneda	20:55	23:05	Daily

JL5259 / KE792	Oita – Seoul (Incheon)	15:45	17:20	Fri.
JL5259 / KE792	Oita – Seoul (Incheon)	18:55	20:30	Sun.
JL5258 / KE791	Seoul (Incheon) – Oita	13:10	14:45	Fri.
JL5258 / KE791	Seoul (Incheon) – Oita	16:20	17:55	Sun.
JL5261 / KE748	Okayama – Seoul (Incheon)	10:00	11:35	Daily
JL5260 / KE747	Seoul (Incheon) – Okayama	18:40	20:10	Daily
JL5265 / KE784	Fukuoka – Busan	11:05	12:00	Daily
JL5267 / KE798	Fukuoka – Busan	19:45	20:40	Daily
JL5264 / KE783	Busan – Fukuoka	09:15	10:05	Daily
JL5266 / KE797	Busan – Fukuoka	17:55	18:45	Daily
JL5263 / KE772 (*2)	Sapporo (Chitose) – Busan	12:35	15:15	Tue. Thu. Sat.
JL5262 / KE771 (*2)	Busan – Sapporo (Chitose)	09:15	11:35	Tue. Thu. Sat.
JL5269 / KE756	Nagoya – Jeju	11:55	13:50	Wed. Fri. Sun.
JL5268 / KE755	Jeju – Nagoya	15:00	16:45	Wed. Fri. Sun.

Note:
*1. All of the above flights are operated by KE.
*2. Sapporo = Busan route will start from April 26, 2014.

Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. JAL’s Boeing 737-846 JA312J (msn 35341) in the old 2002 livery arrives at Tokyo (Narita).

JAL-Japan Airlines:

Korean Air:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-9B5 HL7706 (msn 29991) also arrives at Tokyo (Narita).

Delta and Virgin Atlantic launch Seattle/Tacoma-London Heathrow flights

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) continued its rapid expansion in Seattle/Tacoma with the launch of new daily nonstop service from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to London Heathrow Airport on Saturday, March 29. The route, established as part of Delta’s joint venture with Virgin Atlantic Airways (London).

Through its trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia, Delta offers Seattle-area travelers nonstop service to Paris and Amsterdam while also providing connecting service to more than 150 additional destinations beyond those European hubs.

This spring Delta will also begin expanded Seattle/Tacoma service from Anchorage; Fairbanks, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; San Diego; San Francisco; San Jose, California; and Vancouver to support its growing international gateway that currently serves London Heathrow, Amsterdam and Paris-Charles de Gaulle as well as Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo-Narita, and Tokyo-Haneda.

In June, Delta will begin new international service from Seattle/Tacoma to Seoul and Hong Kong, bringing Delta’s total nonstop transoceanic destinations to nine, as many as all other SeaTac international carriers combined.

By this summer, Delta will offer more than 2,500 daily international seats as part of its 79 peak-day departures to 25 destinations.

Delta currently operates 35 peak-day departures to 15 destinations from Seattle/Tacoma.

Delta Air Lines (current):

ANA today operates the last Boeing 747 flight ending an era

ANA (All Nippon Airways) (Tokyo) today (March 31), as planned, operated the last Boeing 747 flight. The pictured Boeing 747-481 (D) JA8961 (msn 25644) with 497 passengers and 17 crew members operated a round trip from Tokyo (Haneda) to Naha, Okinawa and back, ending 35 years of continuous Boeing 747 operations. JA8961 was delivered to ANA for domestic operations on May 13, 1993.

ANA today (March 31) also retired the Bombardier (de Havilland Canada) DHC-8-300 (Q300).

Read the full report from ZipanguFlyer (with photos): CLICK HERE

ANA:

ANA Banner:

ANA will order 70 Airbus and Boeing aircraft including the new 777-9X

ANA Holdings (ANA-All Nippon Airways) (Tokyo) plans to place an order for 20 new Boeing 777-9X aircraft (below) as well as 14 additional Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The Japanese carrier also ordered six additional Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft (above). ANA also ordered 30 additional Airbus A320 (below bottom) and A321neo aircraft.

This order restores the momentum for the new Boeing 777X project as Japan Airlines had previously defected from Boeing to Airbus with an order for 31 Airbus A50s.

ANA Holdings issued this statement:

ANA Holdings is to place firm orders for 70 new aircraft worth ¥1700 billion at list prices with Boeing and Airbus. The order, approved at a meeting today (March 27) of the Board of Directors of ANA HD, is the biggest in the airline’s history and will support ANA’s drive to become one of the world’s leading airline groups.

The aircraft will be delivered during period of FY 2016-2027 and will increase the size of the ANA fleet to 250 aircraft.

ANA HD has decided to purchase twenty Boing 777-9X, a large twin-aisle aircraft with 15% larger seating capacity, as a successor to its existing fleet of Boeing 777-300 ERs. In addition, ANA HD will purchase six further Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft to support the expansion of its international services until delivery of Boeing 777-9X.

ANA HD will also place fourteen additional orders for the medium-sized Boeing 787-9 aircraft. This will take its total fleet of Dreamliners to 80, confirming ANA as the world’s biggest operator of this fuel-efficient airliner.

The order with Airbus consists of 30 smaller single-aisle jets from the A320 family – seven A320neo aircraft and twenty-three A321neo aircraft, which will replace ANA’s existing Boeing 737-500 and Airbus A320ceo aircraft.

The new Boeing aircraft will be used predominantly on international routes while the new Airbus aircraft will be introduced both on domestic routes and international routes.

ANA Group’s introduction of these new aircraft will help it respond to the needs of the increasing number of passengers expected to arrive in Japan in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and will support the Japanese government’s plans to boost the annual total of foreign visitors to Japan to 20 million.

Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-381 ER JA783A (msn 27940) approaches the runway at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT).

ANA:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus did not win a new Japanese customer for the new A350 but got a consolation order for more Airbus A320s which will become the predominate domestic aircraft for the ANA Group (over the Boeing 737NG). Airbus A320-211 JA8946 (msn 669) with additional “Inspiration of Japan” markings also arrives at Narita International Airport.

JTA orders 12 Boeing 737-800s to replace its older 737-400s

JTA-Japan Transocean Air (Naha, Okinawa) and Boeing (Chicago and Seattle) announced the airline’s selection of 12 Next-Generation 737-800 airplanes. The selection, valued at $1.1 billion at list prices, will mark the start of the airline’s fleet renewal program with the new airplanes scheduled to enter into service from 2016. As part of the agreement, JTA will have the flexibility to switch to the 737 MAX family of airplanes.

A member of the Japan Airlines Group, JTA is based in Naha, Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost island chain. Currently, the airline operates a fleet of 737-400 airplanes on domestic routes linking Okinawa with major Japanese cities as well as other islands within Okinawa.

JTA’s new 737-800s will be powered by CFM56-7 engines manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and SNECMA. The airplanes will be fitted with Boeing’s latest Performance Improvement Package (PIP), delivering an additional two percent improvement in fuel efficiency for what is already the most fuel efficient single-aisle airplane. The airplanes will also feature the popular passenger-inspired Boeing Sky Interior, with modern sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, LED lighting that enhances the sense of spaciousness and larger pivoting overhead stowage bins.

Copyright Photo: Akira Uekawa/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-4Q3 JA8940 (msn 29487) completes the final approach into Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport).

JTA-Japan Transocean Air:

Delta launches international Wi-Fi service on its Boeing 747-400s

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will launch international Wi-Fi service on flights 283 and 295 equipped with Ku-band satellite Wi-Fi on Boeing 747-400 aircraft departing Los Angeles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Narita International Airport in Tokyo. For more than five years, Delta has provided Wi-Fi to customers traveling on its mainline aircraft flying within the United States.

Delta has three of 16 Boeing 747-400 aircraft complete which also operate between Detroit and Seoul-Incheon; Detroit and Nagoya, Japan; Detroit and Tokyo-Narita; New York-JFK and Tel Aviv as well as New York-JFK and Tokyo-Narita.

Customers can access Wi-Fi service with introductory pricing options that begin with one hour passes for laptop users as low as $14.00 and $8.00 for mobile users or a flight pass option, which will keep customers connected throughout their flight, starting at $24.95 for laptop users and $14.95 for mobile users. All of Delta’s 747-400 aircraft will have Wi-Fi installed by mid-2014.

Delta will complete the installation of Wi-Fi service on its entire international fleet by the end of 2015 including its Boeing 777, 767, 747, Airbus A330 and trans-oceanic Boeing 757 aircraft operating on international, long-haul routes. Delta and Gogo are in the final testing phase for Wi-Fi on the Airbus A330 fleet. The addition of in-flight Internet for more than 150 aircraft will expand the number of worldwide aircraft equipped with Wi-Fi to approximately 1,000 jets including all two-class regional, domestic and international aircraft.

The new international service uses satellites for global connectivity to offer coverage internationally and will compliment Delta’s existing air-to-ground service already provided by Gogo for aircraft flying within the domestic U.S.

Delta operates the world’s largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet of aircraft with more than 3,400 flights daily, including its entire fleet of 570 domestic mainline aircraft. More than 870 Delta aircraft, including all Delta Connection two-class regional jets, are equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi service offering more than 400,000 customers per day access to the Internet above 10,000 feet.

Delta Air Lines:

ANA to operate its last Boeing 747 flight on March 31 with JA8961, will be chopped up in Tupelo, Mississippi

ANA (All Nippon Airways) (Tokyo) as planned and previously reported, plans to operate its last revenue flight (NH 126) with the Boeing 747-400 on March 31 between Naha, Okinawa and Tokyo (Haneda) according to ZipanguFlyer. The last revenue flight is scheduled to be operated with the pictured Boeing 747-481 (D) JA8961 (msn 25644). The last ANA Boeing 747-400s are the high-density domestic version of the Boeing 747-400 that seat 565 passengers and were developed specifically for the Japanese market.

In the meantime, according to ZipanguFlyer, JA8961 is operating a series of “Final 747” visits in Japan. On March 16 JA8961 operated flight NH 2001, named the “Sayonara Flight Charter’ from Tokyo (Narita) to Kumamoto. The Boeing Jumbo is expected to visit Fukuoka and Sapporo for the last time on March 30.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

According to The Japan Times, ANA Sales Company is offering a tour to Tupelo Regional Airport in Mississippi to witness the end of JA8961. According to the report, the five-day tour will depart Japan on April 16 and the travelers will travel on a different aircraft to reach the airport in time to greet the arrival of ANA’s last Boeing 747.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-481 JA8951 (msn 25644) taxies at Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport) in Tokyo. JA8961 was delivered new to ANA on May 13, 1993.

ANA: