ITA Airways Arrives at Tokyo Haneda

DALLAS - Following the recent route announcement, Italian flag carrier ITA Airways (AZ) operated its inaugural service to Tokyo Haneda (HND), with AZ792 touching down shortly before midday local time yesterday, November 6. The new link is initially scheduled to operate three times a week, with departures leaving its Rome Fiumicino (FCO) hub at 15:25 local time and returning to FCO at 20:30 local time.

AZ currently has six A350s in service. Photo: ITA Airways

Prior to the cessation of the former Alitalia brand, it was announced in late 2019 that Alitalia was to transfer its Tokyo route from Narita (NRT) to HND in summer 2020. The onset of the pandemic forced Alitalia to axe its Tokyo route several months before the changeover. In addition to the link to NRT, Alitalia also served Osaka Kansai (KIX) for a number of years. However, there has yet to be an announcement that this route will recommence under the new ITA Airways brand.

Strong Headwinds

The route to HND is operated by AZ’s new Airbus A350-900 fleet, configured in a two-class layout with 33 seats in Business and 301 seats in their Economy Class offering.

The aircraft is configured with 33 business-class seats. Photo: ITA Airways.

The flight time on the inaugural return sector was over 14 hours. This was due to the avoidance of Russian airspace and the stronger westerly winds that are more common at lower latitudes during the winter months.

AZ is in the midst of scaling up operations, with other long-haul routes to Delhi (DEL) and Male (MLE) due to commence shortly.

Featured image: The Airbus A350 fleet is a brand new addition to the restructured carrier. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways.