Virgin Australia will stop flying between Cairns and Tokyo Haneda from February 24, 2025, the airline announced on July 22, 2024, citing low demand for travel from Japan to Australia as the reason. Until February 23, 2025, Virgin Australia will continue to operate the route daily.
“Withdrawing from Cairns-Tokyo services was a tough decision, but unfortunately the recovery of inbound visitors from Japan is significantly below forecast and therefore operating our own service to Tokyo is no longer commercially viable,” said Alistair Hartley, Virgin Australia’s Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer. He also highlighted the fact that Virgin Australia will be able to continue connecting Japan and Australia through its partnership with ANA.
The airline explained that “the Yen is now approximately 40 per cent lower than during 2019, significantly increasing the cost for a Japanese traveller to visit Australia. ”
Virgin Australia launched the Cairns – Tokyo Haneda route on June 28, 2023, using Boeing 737-700 aircraft. It then upgauged the route to the 737-8 after it received its first airframe of the type. “Virgin Australia will re-deploy its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that currently operate Cairns-Tokyo services onto our existing domestic schedule,” said the airline’s statement.
Tokyo Haneda is the airline’s only destination in Japan and Virgin Australia is the only airline connecting the airport with Cairns. That said, Jetstar offers daily flights from Cairns to Tokyo Narita.
