Qatar Airways will offer free bus service between Osaka Kansai Airport, which it serves from Doha, and Nagoya’s main train station between September 1, 2024, and January 31, 2025. The airline will outsource the bus service’s operation to Heisei Kanko Bus.
Both business and economy class passengers flying to and from Osaka Kansai on the airline’s flights will be able to use the bus. However, it will only be available to those on revenue tickets issued by Qatar Airways (ticket number starting with 157). Those traveling on award tickets will not be eligible to use the service.
The daily service will be timed to offer two and a half hour transfer time at Osaka Kansai Airport in both directions:
- QR802 / Doha – Osaka Kansai / 1:30AM – 5:00PM
- Osaka Kansai – JR Nagoya Station / 7:30PM – 11:00PM
- JR Nagoya Station – Osaka Kansai / 12:30PM – 4:00PM
- QR803 / Osaka Kansai – Doha / 6:30PM – 11:20PM
Passengers can book the bus as part of their ticket ahead of time by choosing Nagoya Station (NGY) as their origin or destination. Those who do not do so will be able to take the bus on their day of travel if there is space available.
While the three and a half hour bus ride takes longer than a combination of a regular and bullet train, which typically takes just over two hours and costs around $60, it does not require a transfer.
Presumably, Qatar Airways is introducing the service to test demand for travel to Nagoya ahead of considering the launch of scheduled flights to the airport serving the largest metro area in Japan currently not served by the airline. Qatar Airways already serves Tokyo Narita daily in addition to Osaka Kansai. It is planning to increase the Tokyo service to 11 weekly from mid-February 2025.
While Emirates used to offer Dubai – Nagoya service in the past, currently Chubu Airport lacks a non-stop connection with the Middle East.
