Tokyo-based Sun Plus and Delta Air Lines will add flights between Japan and Honolulu during the fourth quarter.

Sun Plus, an international charter broker, will offer 21 direct charter flights between Japan and Honolulu from Nov.13 to Jan. 3, 2012. The flights, which will add 6,132 air seats to the Hawaii market, will mainly operate out of cities such as Hiroshima, Sendai and Kumamoto that have not previously offered direct service.

Delta said it will launch nonstop seasonal service from Fukuoka and Honolulu, beginning Dec. 28. This will be the only direct scheduled flight from Fukuoka, located on Kyushu Island.

“Following the Japan earthquake and tsunami in March, many airlines temporarily suspended flights from Japan to Hawaii,” said Mike McCartney, Hawaii Tourism Authority president and chief executive. “These flights are a sign that Japan is recovering and highlights pent-up demand for travel to our islands, especially from cities that currently do not have direct flight access.”

This additional service from Japan comes at a time when Asiana Airlines is gearing up to begin offering twice-weekly charter flights between Incheon International Airport, just outside Seoul, and Honolulu. The previously announced flights aboard its 269-seat Airbus A330-300 will run Thursdays and Sundays from Sept. 18 to Dec. 8 and add 6,456 more seats to the market.