PAL to fly to Tokyo’s Haneda starting March

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Airlines (PAL) will begin flying to Tokyo International Airport, popularly known as Haneda Airport, twice a day beginning March 30, 2014, the company said Thursday, January 23.

The new route will complement its thrice-a-day service to Narita Airport, which also serves the Greater Tokyo area, for those travelling to and from the Japanese capital, PAL said.

PAL President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Ramon S. Ang noted how the new service they’ll be offering “makes PAL the exclusive operator on the Haneda–Manila route.”

“This route forms part of PAL’s network expansion aimed at providing our passengers more and better choices,” Ang said.

The Haneda service is PAL’s fifth gateway to Japan after Narita, Fukuoka, Osaka, and Nagoya. PAL operates 21 weekly flights to Narita, 5 a week to Fukuoka, 7 to Nagoya, and 7 to Osaka. With the Haneda connection, PAL will fly 47 flights a week to Japan. (READ: PH airlines vie for additional Japan flights)

The Haneda airport is approximately 30 minutes from Tokyo’s metropolitan area, with one domestic and two international passenger terminals. It also connects to Tokyo’s monorail.

PAL is expanding its Japanese presence due to strong market demand. As the third biggest source of tourists to the Philippines, Japan provides a significant pasenger market to the country. Japan also serves as a prime tourist destination for Filipinos. – Rappler.com