Virgin Australia today signalled its intention to commence services to Japan, announcing that the airline would apply to the International Air Services Commission (IASC) for one of the available Australian airline slots into Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Japan is a very strong and important market for both inbound and outbound travel to Australia, with travel volumes growing by almost 50 per cent since 2015. Haneda Airport in particular is a popular entry point into Japan because of its convivence and close proximity to Tokyo City.
Virgin Australia’s intended application for slots at Haneda Airport is extremely important to ensure there is competition in this market to bring choice and value for consumers, with lower airfares and more travel options to Japan.
The airline is focussed on investing in the right routes that are commercially profitable and introducing Japan to its network will benefit the business, guests and the broader tourism industry.
The Japanese Government has announced its intention to open up 50 additional daily slot pairings at Tokyo- Haneda airport from the end of March 2020, which will be split equally between Japanese carriers and foreign carriers.
The Australian and Japanese Governments have agreed to allocate two of these slot pairs for services between the two countries. The new arrangements will take effect from 29 March 2020.
In order for Australian airlines to be awarded slots to operate to Haneda Airport for the 2020 Northern Summer IATA scheduling period, the Commission is working towards allocating these capacity entitlements by 31 October 2019.
Virgin Australia expects to submit its application to the IASC soon.
