Japan Airlines seems to have overcome its bankruptcy proceedings finally and is on course to expand its U.S. operations. Japan’s national carrier has said it is planning to launch direct flights to New York from Tokyo starting from April 1, 2017.
Media reports said that Japan Airlines has already filed requests to authorities of both New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport seeking approval to launch the new route. According to the reports, the cash-strapped airline rehabilitated itself after receiving huge funding from the government.
Japan’s transport ministry had earlier prohibited Japan Airlines from launching flights services on new routes. The government has however lifted the ban from the fiscal year effective from April 2017, thus paving way for the airline to launch new routes once again.
Japan Airlines is presently serving two destinations in the United States from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. These destinations include San Francisco and Honolulu. The reports said that the airline is going to stop operating its Honolulu route and instead switch over to the New York route.
Media reports further stated that All Nippon Airways has been given preferential treatment regarding the allocation of new landing slots at Haneda Airport. Japan’s largest carrier All Nippon Airways is set to launch new flights to Chicago and New York from late October next year.
According to the reports, if Japan Airlines also gets approval for launching flights between New York JFK and Tokyo Haneda then the airline would be entering into direct competition with its rival All Nippon Airways. Travel experts said that after getting the approval it remains to be assessed as to how far Japan Airlines would be strategizing its moves to go on with its expansion plans freely. The rival All Nippon Airways, while expressing apprehensions, said that the disparity still existed and needs to be corrected for making the competitive environment better in the future.
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