This Sunday, October 27, Iberia launches its flights between Madrid and Tokyo (Japan), the only direct connection that unites both countries and the longest route in the company’s entire network.
The airline of the IAG group This route already operated between 2016 and 2020although it had to suspend service that year due to the pandemic. Now, the connection is reactivated with a flight that will depart on Sunday at 11:55 a.m. from T4 of the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport and, after 14 hours of flightwill land at 10:45 local time in Tokyo on Monday, October 28.
Flights between both destinations will have three weekly frequencieson Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays departing from Madrid and on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays departing from Tokyo.
The route will be operated with an Airbus A350 aircraft with capacity for 348 clients in the ‘business’, ‘premium’ tourist and tourist classesso during the first year around 90,000 places will be offered to travel from one country to another.
The company has decided to resume this route to expand its presence in Asia after the good results of your route to Qatarinaugurated in December 2023.
According to estimates, opening up to this new market could generate some 100 million euros to GDP of both countries, in addition to the creation of 1,900 direct and indirect jobs.
The new route is part of the promotional actions of Madrid Turismo by Ifema Madrid, promoted by the Community of Madridthe City Council of the capital and Ifema Madrid. Likewise, it has the support of the central government through Turespaña.
The first time Iberia flew to Tokyo was in 1986, although the flight plan included stops in Barcelona and Mumbai. In 1992, the incorporation of the Airbus A340 and the improved version of the Boeing B747 to the fleet already allowed them to operate direct flights to Japan until 1998.
Around the world
The new route to Tokyo is the longest in the entire Iberia networkwith 14 hours each way 16 around. On both routes, they fly eastwards, as a result of the closure of Russian airspace and the direction of the winds, so that Iberia customers will make a complete circumnavigation of the world on each round trip to and from Tokyo and will fly over, between others, the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Greenland and will pass very close to the North Pole.
Given the distance, the crew operating these flights is duplicated. In total, it is made up of 4 pilots -2 commanders and 2 co-pilots-, and 10 cabin crew, of which there will always be at least three of Japanese nationality to serve Japanese passengers.
In addition to Japanese TCPs, a series of actions with details regarding Japanese culture have been planned. In it entertainment system Japanese movies, series and games are included; There are also newspapers and magazines in Japanese, available through the Press Reader application.
In addition, business class passengers are offered a pajamas and slippersthe menu is also in Japanese and among the products that make up the menu are rice on demand, soy sauce, Japanese green tea and a wide variety of between-meal products and Japanese snacks.
‘Premium’ Tourist also offers the menu menu in japanese to all customers and in Economy class images of the different options that make up the menu are shown. And in all cabins, chopsticks are offered upon request.
For the president of Iberia, Marco Sansavini, this new route is an “illusion”especially considering that they had to suspend it due to the pandemic. Likewise, he has highlighted that his intention is to expand the frequencies to four weekly in 2025.
For his part, the director of Turespaña, Miguel Sanz, has pointed out the importance of this route, since the Japanese visitor stands out for its “high level of spendingas well as for his interest in Spanish art and culture”, making it “unbeatable news for both countries”, according to the statement.
As for the Madrid authorities, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community of Madrid, Luis Martín Izquierdo, has also pointed out the “high value” of tourists from the Asian country, which is why this route is “a key step”while the Director of Tourism of the Madrid City Council, Héctor Coronel, has celebrated that with this flight Japanese tourists will have the opportunity to discover Madrid.
The executive vice president of Ifema Madrid, Daniel Martínez, has also highlighted that the flight “It will be the perfect lever to boost the arrival of Japanese tourists to Madrid.”
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