ANA expands international routes

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) will further expand its international network from Tokyo’s Narita Airport (NRT) with the addition of service linking NRT to Wuhan, China and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Service to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH) will begin on April 28 while service to Phnom Pehn International Airport (PNH) will begin on September 1. With the new service to the country’s capital, Cambodia will become the eighth country served by ANA in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and will serve to strengthen Narita’s role as an international hub.

Flights to Wuhan, the largest city in central China, will serve growing business travel demand linked to Japanese companies advancing their presence in the region and growing demand for travel to Japan by Chinese tourists.

New service to Phnom Penh will also help meet increasing business travel demand. Companies around the world are eying the rapidly emerging Cambodian market, drawn to Phnom Penh as a manufacturing center and the country as a high-potential market for their products and services, the airline said in its statement announcing the new service.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the conclusion of a friendship treaty between Japan and Cambodia. By launching the first direct flights from Japan, ANA aims to contribute to the further development of friendly relations and bring the world closer to the dynamic Cambodia market.

The new flights will also help bolster the carrier’s dual-hub strategy, strengthening its international network and enhance customer convenience from both NRT to the north of metropolitan Tokyo and Handea Airport (HND) south of the city’s core.

New daily service from NRT to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinenal Airport (IAH); Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB)]; Brussels, Belgium (BRU) and Sydney, Australia (SYD) will bring additional strength to the carrier’s international network.

“Strengthening our dual hub operations helps us meet growing demand at Narita for international transfers between North America and Asia, and at Haneda for international-domestic connections,” the airline said.

It is also expanding full-flat seat service in Business Class. This summer the service will be introduced on the NRT-Vancouver, British Columbia (YVR) route aboard new Boeing (NYSE:BA) 787-9 Dreamliners, which will mean the seating will be available on all six European routes and all nine U.S. mainland routes. Three Asian flights - including Mumbai, India (BOM) - will also be equipped with full-flat seats.

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Photos by Carl Dombek
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