Japan Airlines begins charter flights to Hawaii

Japan Airlines recently announced it started operating charter flights to Hawaii’s Kona International Airport.

The airline in a statement said that is has begun operating three sold-out charter flights to Kona International Airport. Japan Airlines flights to Kona are estimated to boost Hawaii’s economy with more than $1 million.

According to the airline, one flight arrived on March 13, and one flight arrived on March 15. The third flight will be arriving at Kona on March 27, 2012. One flight is from Tokyo Narita, and two flights are from Nagoya.

Japan is considered among the largest international market for Hawaii’s tourism economy.

Mike McCartney, Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO, said that the flights have helped open up Kona as a strategic port and will prove beneficial in providing a connection point to other neighbor islands. He also hoped that in future this will lead to a regularly scheduled flight from Japan to Kona.