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Qantas and Virgin Australia to compete for Tokyo Haneda slots
September 20th 2019
Virgin wants one slot to enter the Japanese market. Qantas wants both. Read More »
Qantas and Virgin Australia are seeking approval from Australia for the two Tokyo Haneda slots awarded to Australian carriers. The two reciprocal slots allocated to Japanese carriers for service to Australia will be split evenly between All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines.
Qantas is asking for both slots. One will be used for an additional Sydney-Haneda flight on an A330 or 787. The second slot will be used to move its existing Melbourne-Narita A330 flight to Haneda.
Virgin is asking for one slot to fly to Haneda from an undisclosed city. Virgin’s plan will generate growth and foster competition since this is the first time Virgin will serve Japan. Virgin’s only other Northeast Asia destination is Hong Kong.
The Qantas proposal will generate limited growth for the Australia-Japan market. By moving the Melbourne flights from Narita to Haneda, there will be no increase in capacity. Qantas’ existing Sydney-Haneda flight is flown by the 747, which Qantas will shortly retire. Double daily A330/787 flights will approximately replace the single daily 747 service.
Qantas’ application appears to pre-emptively dismiss Virgin’s attempted entry. The application noted Qantas’ long-standing service to Japan and its ability to quickly launch services. In contrast, Virgin has more work to do because it will be opening flights to an all-new country.
