Haneda Airport … London to Tokyo just got easier

In a bid to boost the profile of cosmopolitan Tokyo as an Asian holiday hotspot, a raft of new international flights have been launched from Haneda Airport.

Despite being located far closer to Tokyo city centre than the better-known Narita International Airport - nine miles away, compared to Narita’s 37 - Haneda has been mainly used for domestic flights since Narita’s opening in 1978.

But, following last October’s opening of Haneda’s new runway and passenger terminal – and rising discontent with Narita’s distance from Tokyo adding at least an hour onto journey times – Haneda is coming up trumps with its new flight routes.

The airport is now aiming to be a 24-hour international hub, with new connections to London, Detroit and New York.

Alongside British Airways‘ five flights a week between Haneda and London Heathrow, American Airlines has began a Haneda to New York’s John F. Kennedy airport route and Delta has launched a regular Haneda to Detroit route.

Delta is also poised to launch a Haneda to Los Angeles flight today (Monday 21 February), increasing the number of international routes to 16.

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