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ANA will serve Stockholm Arlanda Airport 3X-weekly from Tokyo Haneda from Jan. 31, 2025, using Boeing 787-8s.
TOKYO HANEDA-STOCKHOLM
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is expanding its European network with three new routes as inbound tourism to Japan continues to rebound strongly.
Sweden’s capital Stockholm—alongside service to Istanbul and Milan—will be added to the carrier’s network during the forthcoming northern winter 2024-25 season, increasing the Star Alliance member’s route map in Europe to nine destinations.
From Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND), ANA will serve Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) 3X-weekly from Jan. 31, 2025, using Boeing 787-8s. The city marks a new point in the airline’s network and is being opened despite Scandinavian Airlines’ (SAS) switch from Star Alliance to SkyTeam, likely spelling an end to an existing codeshare relationship with ANA.
However, Japan is Sweden’s second-largest trading partner in Asia, with close to 150 Swedish companies operating in Japan. Sweden in turn is the largest Nordic export market for Japan, and roughly 180 Japanese companies have operations in Sweden.
Inbound tourism from Japan has recovered strongly in recent months helped by a weaker yen, with the number of foreign visitors during the first six months of 2024 reaching a record 17.78 million. The previous January-June record was set in 2019 with 16.63 million arrivals.
According to Sabre Market Intelligence data, O&D traffic between Japan and Sweden reached 59,900 two-way passengers in 2023, representing an increase of 132% over the previous 12 months. Tokyo-Stockholm accounted for 63% of the traffic last year on a city-pair basis.
ANA also plans to serve Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) from HND 3X-weekly starting Dec. 3 using Boeing 787-9s, and Istanbul Airport (IST) from Feb. 12 with 787-8s.
ANA previously served Milan until the late 1990s, but Istanbul is a new point for the carrier. Of the three new routes, Tokyo-Istanbul is the only sector to receive nonstop service, with Turkish Airlines offering daily flights from IST to both HND and Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT).
SHANGHAI-VENICE
Two new nonstop routes to Italy are being launched by China Eastern Airlines in September, including the carrier’s first flights to Venice and the sole link from the Italian city to mainland China.
Beginning Sept. 26, the airline will operate from Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) and from Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP). Both routes will run 3X-weekly using Airbus A330s.
The planned introduction will double the number of Italian routes operated by the Chinese carrier to four. According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, China Eastern currently serves Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) daily from PVG and 2X-weekly from Wenzhou Longwan International (WNZ). However, the latter route is scheduled to be paused at the end of the northern summer 2024 season.
More than 150,000 passengers traveled indirectly between Venice and China in 2019, and the new nonstop route from Shanghai is projected to carry about 70,000 passengers in its first year. Alongside attracting inbound leisure traffic, the northeast of Italy is home to a Chinese community of about 70,000 people, meaning VFR flows will also be a factor. Additionally, the region accounts for 13% of trade flows between Italy and China, second only to the Milan area.
China Eastern has offered scheduled service to Milan in the past, flying to the city for a limited time during the first few months of the pandemic. However, Venice will become a new destination for the airline.
The expansion comes as Chinese carriers continue to beef up their European networks, while at the same time some European counterparts are limiting their service to mainland China, citing the Russia overflight situation. Chinese airlines have added or announced 13 new routes to destinations in Europe so far this year, while European carriers including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have scaled back their Chinese networks.
China Eastern was also scheduled to start flights to Vienna this summer, but its plans fell through after European authorities denied the airline traffic rights owing to its intention to overfly Russia.
Overall, there are some 5.4 million two-way seats available between China and Europe during the third quarter of 2024, equivalent to 93% of 2019 levels, with Chinese carriers accounting for about 78% of the capacity.
HONG KONG-GOLD COAST
Hong Kong Airlines is reviving its long-haul ambitions with the launch of a seasonal service to Australia starting in January, as part of broader plans that will see its network expand to North America.
Nonstop flights between Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Gold Coast Airport (OOL) will start Jan. 17, 2025, operating 4X-weekly over a five-week period, coinciding with the Chinese Lunar New Year, and will offer approximately 6,000 seats using Airbus A330s.
The move signals the airline’s return to long-haul flights after suspending all operations at the start of the pandemic and later undergoing a HK$49 billion ($6.3 billion) debt restructuring, which included downsizing its fleet from 53 aircraft to 20.
Hong Kong Airlines has served Gold Coast in the past, offering year-round flights until October 2018. However, the cities have remained unserved nonstop ever since—and Gold Coast has been without nonstop flights to the Greater China region.
Five years ago, China and Hong Kong visitor spend was worth A$430 million ($289 million) to the Gold Coast economy, attracting more than 280,000 visitors a year. However, the market is still recovering, attracting 53,000 visitors and a spend of A$96.7 million in the year to March 2024.
According to OAG data, Hong Kong Airlines suspended long-haul flights in February 2020, cancelling routes to Malé, Los Angeles and Vancouver.
In 2022, it embarked on an extensive restructuring plan that saw it shrink its widebody fleet and return all Airbus A350s to lessors. Alongside the seasonal Gold Coast service, the carrier is evaluating adding North American routes to Los Angeles, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.
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