Japan Airlines will increase the number of flights out of Melbourne from the end of March, which is great news for holidaymakers planning trips to Japan (and we know there are a lot of those).
Currently, Japan’s national carrier operates three services a week between Tullamarine and Tokyo, but from the end of the northern winter IATA schedule period (26 March 2023), the airline will increase capacity to four flights per week.
From 26 March to 1 July, JAL flight JL774 will fly from Melbourne to Tokyo Narita on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, departing at 7.20am and arriving at 4.20pm.
JL773 will depart Narita on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 6.20pm and touch down in Melbourne at 5.40am the following day.
Then, from 2 July to 28 October, JL774 will depart Melbourne on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, while JL773 will depart Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday – with the same timings.
The updates were unveiled in the airline’s latest schedule announced last week.
The carrier will operate its Boeing B787-8 aircraft on the route.
Until 26 March, the current schedule will remain as follows:
- JL774 – Tue, Thu, Sun – Depart MEL 0805 Arrive NRT 1605
- JL773 – Mon, Wed, Sat – Depart NRT 1835 Arrive MEL 0635 (the next day)
There will be no changes to Japan Airlines’ daily Sydney services (JL051/052).
JAL’s announcement follows a steady rise in the numbers of Japan-bound flights from Australia.
Qantas recently announced it would be linking Brisbane and Tokyo Haneda for the first time, while Virgin Australia said it would commence its first-ever Cairns–Haneda service in June 2023.
Meanwhile, Japan’s largest carrier, All Nippon Airways (ANA) recently upped flight capacity between Sydney and Tokyo Haneda to twice-daily services and revealed its return to Perth.
And what’s more, travellers flying through Japan won’t have to worry about delayed flights.
