Arkia Cancels Planned Direct Flights to Tokyo Amid Regulatory Hurdles
Translated & summarized from Walla by baba
Arkia Airlines has canceled its planned direct flights to Tokyo, Japan, set to begin in late October, due to a lack of regulatory approval from Japanese authorities for operating the route with a leased aircraft. The airline is continuing efforts to secure approvals and is offering affected passengers alternative flights, destination changes with a discount, or full refunds. The cancellation leaves El Al as the sole airline operating direct flights between Israel and Japan.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Arkia Airlines canceled its planned direct flights to Tokyo, Japan, due to regulatory issues.
- Japanese authorities have not yet approved the route's operation using a wet-leased aircraft.
- The cancellation affects passengers booked on flights in late October and early November.
- Arkia is offering affected passengers alternative flights, destination changes, or full refunds.
- The cancellation means El Al remains the sole airline operating direct flights to Tokyo.
Arkia Airlines has announced the cancellation of its planned direct flights to Tokyo, Japan, which were scheduled to commence in late October. The decision comes after Japanese authorities failed to approve the route's operation using a wet-leased aircraft at this time. The airline emphasized that efforts to secure the necessary approvals are ongoing, but it cannot commit to a new start date for the direct service.
This cancellation affects passengers who had booked flights for October 25 and 28, and November 1 and 5. Arkia stated that passengers with bookings for later dates do not need to make changes for now. The airline's planned route was expected to introduce competition on the Israel-Japan air corridor, potentially lowering fares, as El Al remains the sole carrier on the route.
This is not the first time Arkia has reversed plans for a new route. Recently, the company canceled its service to Saigon, Vietnam, after initially announcing it as a new destination following a successful route to Hanoi. Arkia had also recently announced plans to launch a route to Manila, the Philippines, starting in January 2027.
Arkia is offering three alternatives to affected passengers: a flight to Tokyo via Bangkok or Hanoi with Arkia flights and onward connections, a change of destination to any other Arkia destination with a 10% discount, or a full refund. The airline stated it has been working for months with Japanese authorities for approvals and is also pursuing the possibility of operating the route with its own aircraft, hoping for approvals in the coming weeks. They reiterated their commitment to the Tokyo route and will update passengers immediately if approvals are granted.
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