Qatar Airways touched down at Tokyo Haneda International Airport for the first time on June 18th marking the airlines’ third destination in Japan and 143rd globally. The inaugural flight also marked the first time that a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner has operated to one of their three destinations in Japan. Qatar Airways has been operating to the Land of the Rising Sun, with routes to Osaka and Tokyo Narita, since 2005 and 2010 respectively.
A press conference held the following day at the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel allowed local media an opportunity to hear Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker speak about the airlines’ expansion into Japan as well as its overall growth plans.
“Qatar Airways is thrilled that we have further expanded our operations to the dynamic city of Tokyo. This new route will provide our passengers, both in Japan and throughout the rest of our network, with even more options and flexibility when travelling, whether it be for business or leisure,” said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Al Baker.
Al Baker, who was joined at the head table by Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Commercial, East Asia & South West Pacific, Woo Yew Seong, and Qatar Airways Country Manager, Japan, Tomohiko Matsumoto, added: “We have enjoyed a very strong relationship with Japan since we began operating flights to this culturally rich and beautiful country in 2005. Since then we have enjoyed a steady growth which allowed us to expand our operations to Tokyo Narita in 2010, and now Tokyo Haneda. This bond is reflected in not just the presence of our airline in Japan but also in the trade, art and culture that is shared between our two wonderful countries.”
The historic flight signaled the start of a daily service to Tokyo Haneda International Airport, which joined the daily flights already in operation to Tokyo Narita International Airport. For passengers, this means two dedicated flights into Japan’s largest city on a daily basis.
The route, which is operated by an Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with 22 seats in Business Class and 232 in Economy, will bring the number of Qatar Airways’ flights to Japan up from 14 to 21 frequencies each week.
With the new route, Qatar Airways will be serving travellers from the central area of Tokyo in addition to Tokyo Narita which currently services the population in the greater city area.
The Tokyo Haneda operation provides a non-stop link to Doha with excellent onward connections to more than 100 destinations, including popular spots in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.