Japan Airlines resuming New York route next spring after 39 years

Japan Airlines has indicated it is planning to resume its flights services between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport from next spring starting April 1, 2017. The airline had scrapped the route in 1978, and would relaunch new service after an interval of 39 years.

The direct flights between New York JFK and Tokyo are being launched by Japan Airlines after it has completed its bankruptcy proceedings and received major funding by the government.

A spokesperson of Japan’s national carrier Japan Airlines in a statement said that the massive dose of public funds by the current government has helped the airline to overcome its financial crisis and rehabilitate itself.

Japan Airlines is presently serving two destinations in the United States. The airline is operating flights to Honolulu and San Francisco from Tokyo Haneda. Media reports have however said that the airline will stop it flights services to Honolulu when it resumes its services to New York JFK.

With the relaunch of Tokyo Haneda-New York JFK route, travel industry experts are hoping that the demand for travel by both businesspersons and tourists is going to increase. Moreover, the people traveling from either Japan or United States are going to get more flexible travel options than before. The reopening of the route is also going to intensify competition further.

Meanwhile, the full-year earnings outlook has been slashed by Japan Airlines. The reports said that the airline’s fiscal first-half net profit has sharply plummeted because of the decline in its international business. The net profit for the six months through September dipped to $682 million, down above 30 percent when compared to the same period last year. The airline has also forecast that its full-year net profit is going to decrease. However, Japan Airlines’ rival All Nippon Airways has on the other hand seen a significant increase in its net profit. The revenue growth has been cited owing to growing business travel demand from North America, Europe and Asia.