Virgin Australia’s Tokyo Haneda slot pair to be reallocated by early October 2024

Qantas A330 in Tokyo
It is likely that Qantas will seek to use the slot pair to move one of its Narita routes to Haneda.

On September 10, 2024, Australian Government’s International Air Services Commission started the process of reallocating a slot pair between Australia and Tokyo Haneda that will be made available when Virgin Australia terminates its flight between Cairns and the Japanese airport in late February 2025.

According to the commission’s statement, it is “working towards allocating the one (1) daily frequency by 10 October 2024.” The slot pair will be available for use from February 25, 2025. To meet the timeline it set, the commission has “decided to shorten the notification/consultation period for applications received, as set out in the administrative procedures, to five business days (instead of 10 business days).”

Two possible contenders for the slot pair include Qantas and its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar, both of which already serve Tokyo. The former currently offers two daily flights between Sydney and Haneda, as well as daily flights from Brisbane and Melbourne to Narita. The latter offers daily flights from Brisbane and Cairns to Narita.

While potential for a new route between Australia and Tokyo exists, most likely the slot pair will be sought by Qantas to move one of its two Narita routes to the more convenient Haneda Airport. Doing so would not only provide easier access to the city center but also the ability to transfer more easily to the Australian airline’s oneworld partner JAL’s extensive network of domestic flights.

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