Japan Airlines has decided to increase flight frequencies between Tokyo-Narita and Bengaluru from twice to thrice a week. The Japanese flag carrier currently operates the only nonstop flight service connecting the two cities. The additional flight provides another convenient option for passengers traveling to and from Japan and passengers flying to and from North America.
More flights to Bengaluru
The airline’s latest flight schedules highlight the thrice-weekly roundtrip flight operations, as Japan Airlines is slowly working towards its initial plan of offering one daily direct flight service from Bengaluru to Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft will operate on the route, equipped with 30 Business Class seats and 156 Economy Class seats.
| Flight number | Departure time | Arrival time | Frequency |
| JL 753 (NRT – BLR) | 18:25 | 00:15 +1 | Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays |
| JL 754 (BLR – NRT) | 02:45 | 14:55 | Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays |
To celebrate the ongoing progress in the direct flight from Bengaluru to Tokyo-Narita, Japan Airlines and Kempegowda International Airport organized a lamp-lighting ritual at the check-in counter for flight JL 754 and a gate ceremony before the flight’s departure. In attendance at the celebration were Karnataka Industria Minister Murugesh Nirani and the Commissioner of the Department of Industries and Commerce, Gunjan Krishna, who both also boarded the flight to Japan.
Expanding its presence in India
Japan Airlines’ increment of the Tokyo-Bengaluru route strongly indicates its commitment to expanding its presence in India. The oneworld member airline was supposed to inaugurate the route in March 2020 but had temporarily crossed out the possibility due to the onset of the pandemic. Eventually, Japan Airlines could only begin flight operations with special flights only when it was necessary.
Then from March last year, under the Indian Government’s AIr Bubble Arrangement, the Japanese carrier operated regular flights once a week. Since the arrangement ended earlier this year, traveling to Bengaluru has become easier for passengers as they need not submit customer information. And as Japan slowly opens up and backs down on restrictions, Japan Airlines sees an opportunity to ramp up services, even if by just one extra flight.
Shinya Naruse, Vice-President and Regional Manager in India for Japan Airlines commented:
“We are very excited to make this progress in serving the community better in Bengaluru with more convenient flights to Japan, and hence also providing greater options to connect to North America. We will continue striving to ensure utmost safety and comfort for our guests travelling between India and Japan, and in doing so, contribute to the robust flow of social and economic values between the two countries”
Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer for Kempegowda International Airport, said:
“Japan holds strong market potential for direct flights from India for business and leisure travelers. We are the only airport in South India having direct connectivity to Japan. Therefore, we are excited about the addition of the third weekly frequency to Tokyo Narita Airport by Japan Airlines, which will further enable the way people travel between India and Japan and points beyond Japan.”
Plans for the future?
India is fast becoming a booming aviation market as international airlines try to find new Indian cities to fly to. While Japan Airlines is expanding slightly on its Tokyo-Bengaluru route, it still leaves the Japanese flag carrier with only two destinations in India. The other would be the Indian capital which operates from Tokyo-Haneda and Tokyo-Narita, thrice weekly from Haneda and once a week from Narita. With a commitment to expanding further in India, Japan Airlines could be looking to land in cities such as Hyderabad, Chennai, or Kochi, to name a few, for the future.
However, Japan Airlines undoubtedly faces tough competition from none other than All Nippon Airways (ANA), which also services two Indian destinations, New Delhi and Mumbai. Regarding the frequency for New Delhi alone, ANA is relatively on par with Japan Airlines by offering four weekly flight services from Haneda, using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. As for Mumbai, ANA flies from Narita thrice weekly, making it challenging if Japan Airlines chooses to expand its Indian route network with this particular city.
Article available on SimpleFlying.com
