Still no direct flights to Japan from Milan, ANA again postpones opening of route

All Nippon Airlines, Japan's largest airline, has issued an update on its routes and the resumption of routes suspended due to the pandemic.

Milan/Tokyo still on hiatus

Among the most anticipated routes, at least by us Italians, is definitely the debut of the Haneda/Malpensa route, on ice just since March 2020, when it was supposed to start. The link was announced in late 2019, but has never become a reality since then.

When the latest ANA route update had come out in December. we had hoped it would be the last postponement and instead still nothing in the 2023 summer schedule. It is therefore safe to assume that, if it does start, the connection could be made during the 2024 summer season, which is 14 months from now.

ANA's new routes to Europe.

The routes announced in recent hours are connections from Tokyo to Munich and Brussels. Direct flights from Brussels (2 flights per week) to Tokyo Narita and Munich (3 flights per week) to Tokyo Haneda will resume from March and will be operated with Boeing 787s, thus without the first-class cabin.

ITA Airways no flight to east from Milan

Before covid, when there was still Alitalia, the connection to Tokyo Narita was a "golden goose" for the Italian national airline and this was the second, and only, connection from Malpensa along with the flight to New York.

Today ITA flies to Tokyo Haneda only from Rome with its flagship, the A350.

Flying with ANA via Lufthansa

Therefore, to experience the service of one of the world's best airlines, one must fly in connection via Munich and Frankfurt, thanks to code-sharing with Lufthansa and, perhaps soon, ITA if the sale of the airline is completed.

• New Routes