Air India Increases Tokyo Flights

Air India is to add a fifth weekly rotation on its Delhi – Tokyo Narita service during the Northern Summer 2012 schedules. The additional flight will be introduced on March 25, 2012 and like the existing services will be operated using a Boeing 777-200LR.

The Indian national carrier currently competes with Japan Airlines (JAL) on the route and the two carriers have a pretty equal split of the estimated 117,000 O&D passengers that flew on direct flights in the past year. Alongside this demand, around a further 37,000 passengers flew between Delhi and Tokyo Narita via other Asian airports including with Thai Airways International via Bangkok, Cathay Pacific Airways via Hong Kong and Singapore Airlines via Singapore.

Although Air India and JAL have reported similar passenger numbers on the route, there is a vast difference in air fares between the two carriers, with the average Air India ticket 26 per cent cheaper than its rival.