Japan Airlines will resume daily nonstop service between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and Kona International Airport at Keahole this fall — a move that is expected to add millions of dollars to the state’s economy and shore up Kona’s status as an international port of entry.
The carrier announced Monday that it would reinstate the route Sept. 15 as part of an effort “to develop and meet demand on its international network.” The service, which is expected to generate nearly $84 million in visitor spending and $10 million in taxes, will add to the six daily nonstop flights that JAL currently operates between Honolulu, Narita, Osaka and Nagoya. It also expands the presence of a carrier whose ties to Hawaii go back more than 60 years.
“Over the years, JAL has played a significant role in the expansion of our state’s tourism industry, economy and the cultural exchange we enjoy with Japan. We are excited about the new daily service to Kona, which is well on its way to becoming Hawaii’s second major international port of entry,” Gov. David Ige said in a statement.
The move will be a boon to Hawaii’s visitor industry, which lobbied hard seven years ago to keep JAL from pulling its daily Narita-Kona flight, which carried more than 980,000 passengers and substantial exports between June 1996 and October 2010. The route was cut anyway in conjunction with a government-backed bankruptcy restructuring that eliminated 15 of JAL’s international routes and 30 domestic routes.
“When JAL pulled out in 2010, it created a major negative economic impact on (Hawaii island),” said Danny Ojiri, vice president of market development for Outrigger Hotels &Resorts. “JAL went through a tough bankruptcy period. They promised they would come back in 2010. I’m very happy that they have made good on that promise.”
Yoshiharu Ueki, president of Japan Airlines, said in a statement that this latest route will
provide JAL’s customers in Japan and other Asian countries with “a second destination.”
Ojiri said JAL has made a major investment by resuming its Narita-Kona route. Schedules are subject to government approval, but the carrier intends for its JAL Sky Suite 767 aircraft to depart Narita at 9:25 p.m. and arrive in Kona at
10:15 a.m. Service from Kona is slated to depart at
12:15 p.m. and arrive at
4 p.m. the next day in Narita. These aircraft, which seat 199 passengers, are fitted with business-class seats that flatten and economy seats that offer extended legroom.
JAL will compete with
Hawaiian Airlines on the
Tokyo to Kona route.
Hawaiian began direct service from Tokyo’s Haneda airport to Kona in December with three flights a week.
“Hopefully, there’s enough demand for both JAL and Hawaiian Airlines to continue to service Hawaii island,” Ojiri said.
There were 15,288 total air seats from Japan to Kona from January to April 2017 as compared with none during the same period in 2016, said Jennifer Chun, Hawaii Tourism Authority tourism research manager.
“The island of Hawaii has underperformed the other islands due to access, but with great partners like
Hawaiian and JAL we are optimistic about the growth opportunity,” said Kelly Sanders, area managing director for Marriott Hotels and Resorts Waikiki.
Hawaiian’s Haneda-Kona service brought “additional traffic to the Big Island that wasn’t accompanied by a decline in travel to Oahu,” said Jerry Gibson, area vice president Hilton Hawaii. Sanders said Hawaiian’s Haneda-Kona service produced a “sizable increase in overall arrivals to Kona.”
During the first four months of this year, Chun said, Japanese arrivals to Hawaii island increased nearly 27 percent over last year. The number of
Japanese visitors who stayed exclusively on Hawaii island rose nearly 54 percent through April 2017, she said.
“If you look at the trends, (the rate of increase for)
Hawaii island’s demand has been very significant. All islands have been growing on spending and arrivals — no doubt the island of Hawaii has grown the most,” said HTA President and CEO George Szigeti. “We don’t take anything for granted, but if we all work together, we think the island of Hawaii will continue to build demand.”
