Qantas flights from Melbourne to Tokyo resume

Qantas has today resumed direct flights between Melbourne and Tokyo for the first time in more than three years.

The new service is the first non-stop flight between Melbourne and Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport by any airline, saving passengers nearly two hours travel to downtown Tokyo compared with Narita Airport, to where the flight operated to before the pandemic.

The year-round flights will operate four days per week with an Airbus A330 aircraft and add to Qantas’ existing flights from Sydney and Brisbane to Haneda Airport, snubbing Narita, which is much more distant from downtown Tokyo.

Together, these flights offer customers more than 420,000 seats between Australia and Japan annually and the choice of double daily flights to Tokyo, a hugely popular destination for Australians.

Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David said the flights would support the resurgence of tourism and trade links between Australia and Japan which have been growing rapidly since borders reopened.

“We’ve seen the demand for our Tokyo flights bounce back very strongly, and our research shows that it is one of the top tourist destinations that Australians plan on visiting in the next 12 months,” he said.

“Our customers in Victoria have been looking forward to the return of this route, with the flights launching in time for travellers to enjoy the cherry blossom season in Japan.

"Corporate travellers can also now save time on their airport commute by flying into or out of Haneda.

“We’re pleased we can now offer our customers much easier access to Tokyo city centre and the world’s third largest economy from three major East Coast Australian cities."

The Qantas Group now operates up to 35 return flights per week from Australia to Japan. This includes Qantas’ flights from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to Haneda and Jetstar’s flights from Cairns to Narita and Osaka, and the Gold Coast to Narita.

How to fly from Australia to Tokyo for $699 return

 

Virgin Australia this morning unveiled a new year-round, daily Cairns-Tokyo (Haneda) service, which will add over 2,000 seats per week to Japan from June 28, 2023.

And to celebrate, Virgin dropped a Hello Tokyo sale with tickets on sale from $699 return, until midnight next Tuesday, or until sold out.

Linking directly to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, the route will add over 30,000 additional inbound visitors into Cairns every year, delivering a major boost for the local tourism industry.

Virgin plans to operate the route using new Boeing 737-8 aircraft, which it says will reduce emissions by up to 15% per flight.

Virgin Australia has also announced it will strengthen its partnership with All Nippon Airways (ANA), with expanded codeshare services and reciprocal loyalty benefits to be implemented throughout 2023.

The new route was launched in partnership with the Queensland Government and Cairns Airport through the Queensland Government’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund.

Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive Officer Jayne Hrdlicka said: “I’m thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new daily, year-round Cairns-Haneda service with VA77 taking off on June 28 next year. 

"We’re excited to offer our guests access directly into and out of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, on new fuel-efficient aircraft."