Japan Airlines (JAL) currently operates the only non-stop air service connecting Bengaluru and Tokyo. JAL has now increased the flight frequency from twice a week to three times, starting August 6, 2022. This additional flight is another convenient option for persons travelling to and from Japan and for passengers connecting to and from the United States and Canada.
Hailed as the latest ‘cloud service that techies are looking forward to’, in their launch campaign back in 2020, JAL was scheduled to inaugurate the first and only direct flight connection between Bengaluru and Tokyo (Narita) in March that year.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline started operations with special flights only when it was necessary. Under the Indian Government’s Air Bubble arrangement, JAL operated regular flights once a week from March 2021. Following the gradual recovery around the world from the pandemic, JAL is pleased to increase its flight frequency. The airline’s latest flight schedule operates three weekly roundtrip flights. JAL is working towards the original plan of operating one daily flight.
To celebrate the progress in the resumption of direct flights from Bengaluru to Tokyo (Narita), JAL and Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) organised a lamp-lighting ceremony at the check-in counter for flight JL754, and a gate ceremony before departure on the night of August 5, 2022.
Gracing the event were, Dr. Murugesh R Nirani, Honourable Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries, GoK, and Gunjan Krishna, IAS-Commissioner of Department of Industries and Commerce, both of whom represented the Indian State of Karnataka and travelled to Japan on JL754.
Also present at the event, Shinya Naruse, Vice President & Regional Manager of India for Japan Airlines, said: “We are very excited to make this progress in better serving the community 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.”
“At BIAL, one of our key strategic priorities is to enhance non-stop connectivity to key international destinations, as passenger volumes continue to grow. Japan holds strong market potential for direct flights from India for both business and leisure travellers. We are the only airport in South India having direct connectivity to Japan. We are therefore 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,” said Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Bangalore International Airport Ltd.
JAL operates the route with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft equipped with 30 Business Class and 156 Economy Class award-winning seats. With a flight schedule that leaves Bengaluru past midnight, customers can conveniently arrive in Japan the next morning for a full day’s activity. Furthermore, this provides ample layover time for passengers connecting to 11 destinations that JAL flies directly to in North America, from Tokyo Narita Airport.
