Haneda T1 Extension, Toki Air’s Passenger Number Milestone & More

Welcome to the May 10, 2024, edition of the This Week in Japanese Aviation newsletter!

Over the last week, Toki Air transported its 10,000th passenger averaging an approximately 50% load factor since commencing operations and construction of Haneda Airport Terminal 1’s extension started.

Continue reading to see what else happened in Japan’s aviation industry over the last seven days. While the highlights are below, other things happened too. As such, make sure to stop by Japan Aviation Hub.

Routes

Air Thailand plans to serve Japan when it launches. The airline, a rebrand of Asia Atlantic Airlines, plans to take to the skies in October 2024.

Eastar Jet will operate flights between Seoul Incheon and Sapporo New Chitose for three months, starting in July 2024.

Hunnu Air will operate 12 roundtrips between Japan and Ulaanbaatar in July and August 2024. The charters will include seven roundtrips from Shizuoka, two from Nagoya Chubu and Fukuoka, and one from Osaka Kansai.

PaxEx

Fukuoka Airport’s international terminal will get self-bag drop machines on May 13, 2024. With that, passengers departing on select airlines will be able to bypass regular check-in counters even when traveling with checked baggage.

Jetstar Japan deployed its Airbus A321LR on an international flight for the first time on May 8, 2024, replacing the usual A320 on the airline's Tokyo Narita - Shanghai Pudong route. In addition to having more seats, the aircraft’s seats are better equipped than those on the A320.

Operations

Toki Air transported its 10,000th passenger on May 6, 2024. The 10,000th passenger flew on the airline's flight BV101 from Niigata to Sapporo Okadama. From launch until May 6, 2024, the company averaged an approximately 50% load.

JAL and MHI signed an agreement to deploy Lilac, a jointly-developed lighting strike avoidance decision support system, at airports in Japan in April 2024. The agreement was announced on May 7, 2024.

Airports

Tokyo Haneda Terminal 1’s extension construction started on May 7, 2024. The project is expected to be completed in May 2026.

Did You Know That…

Tokorozawa Airfield in Saitama Prefecture, which opened in April 1911, was Japan’s first airfield. While the airfield is no longer in use, there is now an aviation museum in the same location.

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

If you prefer to get it straight into your inbox, you can subscribe to the email version here.