American Details JFK - Haneda Route, Skymark Announces In-Flight Service Revamp & More

Welcome to the February 23, 2024, edition of the This Week in Japanese Aviation newsletter! …although it’s February 24, 2024, already since I’m sending it just past midnight.

Over the last week, American Airlines confirmed its upcoming JFK - Haneda route’s schedule, Skymark announced it will revamp its onboard service, and AirJapan had to cancel its inaugural to Seoul due to technical issues with its sole aircraft.

Continue reading to see what else happened in Japan’s aviation industry over the last seven days. For more news, make sure to stop by Japan Aviation Hub.

Routes

American Airlines announced it will launch New York JFK - Tokyo Haneda on June 28, 2024. Last month, the airline applied for slots that Delta returned earlier this year when it decided not to launch Portland - Haneda.

JAL will add seasonal flights from Tokyo Narita and Osaka Kansai to Taipei Taoyuan during the 2024 summer schedule. The former will be operated using the 767-300ER while the latter using the 787-8.

Singapore Airlines will increase Fukuoka flights to daily from March 4, 2024, returning to the same frequency as before the pandemic. Currently, it operates five weekly flights on the route.

China Airlines will resume scheduled flights between Taipei Taoyuan and Kagoshima starting on May 7, 2024. The route was last operated on March 1, 2020, before being suspended due to the pandemic.

JAL operated its first dedicated freighter flight in over 13 years on February 19, 2024. The flight was operated by the first of the three 767-300ERs it plans to convert from passenger aircraft into freighters.

Passenger Experience

Skymark Airlines announced it will revamp its onboard service, both free and paid. The revamped service concept, "enjoying the destination in the sky," will be offered from March 1, 2024.

StarFlyer will add Touken Ranbu decals to one of its Airbus A320-200s. The special livery is expected to enter into service on April 8, 2024, and remain on the aircraft until the end of September 2024.

Operations

Airbus’s A300-600ST "Beluga" visited Kobe Airport, arriving on the morning of February 21, 2024, presumably with one or two helicopters onboard. This is the type's fourth visit to Japan and third to Kobe.

ANA and JAL subsidiary employees cheated during an exam needed to drive within Haneda Airport's secure area. The employees are reported to have been allowed to have their textbooks open during the exam.

Air Japan had to cancel its inaugural flight to Seoul due to technical issues with its sole aircraft. It had to also cancel the return flight from Seoul to Tokyo Narita as well as two other flights.

Did You Know That…

The number of visitors to Japan in December 2023 was 8% higher than in December 2019, driven by the weak yen among other things. For more on Japan airline industry’s post-pandemic recovery, make sure to check Japan Aviation Hub’s tracker.

That’s it for this week - thank you for reading and have a great week!

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