This Sunday Iberia will launch flights between Madrid and Tokyo | National and international economics

This Sunday, October 27, Iberia will launch flights between Madrid and Tokyo, establishing the only direct connection between Spain and Japan. The flight will depart T4 from Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport at 11:55, with 352 passengers and fully booked. After a 14-hour flight, it will land at Narita International Airport in Tokyo at 10:45 am on October 28 (local time).

According to the airline, this new route was created to expand Iberia’s presence in Asia following the strong performance of the daily flight to Doha (Qatar), launched in December 2023. The company adds that this operation is part of the promotions carried out by Madrid Turismo IFEMA, supported by the Community of Madrid, the City Council of Madrid and IFEMA MADRID, and in which the companies and associations that are part of the Round Table of Tourism Experts collaborate. from the capital, among which is Iberia. The initiative also enjoys the support of the central government through Turespaña.

The company expects that the opening of this new market will contribute €100 million to the GDP of both countries in the first year of operation and create almost 1,900 direct and indirect jobs. “Opening a new route always makes us excited, but this is even more exciting and we have had to suspend flights to Tokyo due to the pandemic. From today we offer the only option that directly connects Spain with Japan, without stops, and we do this three times a week, which means about 90,000 seats between both countries in the first year of operation. Our goal is to increase flight frequencies in 2025 to offer travelers much more options,” said Marco Sansavini, President of Iberia.

Iberia offers three flights a week between Madrid and Tokyo on Airbus A-350 aircraft, the most modern and efficient model in its fleet, with a capacity of 348 passengers in each class. businesspremium travel and tourism. The company will fly from Spain to Japan on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; The return route from Tokyo to Madrid will be available on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. In both cases, departure is at 11:55 (local time).

This new route is the longest on the entire Iberia network: it lasts 14 hours one way and 16 hours return. On both routes we fly east due to the closure of Russian airspace and wind patterns, flying over the Aleutian Islands, Alaska and Greenland in particular.

Considering the distance and complexity of the route, the technical crew performing these flights has been doubled, the company reported. In total, it consists of 4 pilots – 2 commanders and 2 co-pilots – and 10 flight attendants, of whom there will always be at least three Japanese to properly serve Japanese passengers. The entertainment system includes Japanese films, TV series and games; There are also newspapers and magazines in Japanese. In order to serve Japanese passengers, call centerr with Japanese staff, opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00.

“High quality tourism”

“The opening of this route represents a key step in our positioning as a destination in Asia, a key axis in our strategy to attract high-value tourists,” said Luis Martín Izquierdo, Vice Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community. Madrid.

For his part, Hector Coronel, Director of Tourism at the Madrid City Council, added: “Madrid offers a unique experience that Japanese tourists will fall in love with. Thanks to the presence of major international luxury chains and the character and hospitality of Spanish brands, our city is a welcoming place that combines tradition and avant-garde.” Daniel Martínez, executive vice president of Ifema Madrid, emphasized that this new direct connection will be “the ideal lever to increase the influx of Japanese tourists to Madrid, as well as to materialize the results of the promotional campaigns that we have been running for several months.” in key destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, in countries such as Japan, Singapore, China, Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand.”

Miguel Sanz, CEO of Turespaña, added that “Japan has been and remains a strategic market” for Spain. “The profile of the Japanese visitor is distinguished by its high level of spending, as well as its interest in Spanish art and culture. Turespaña is developing a very relevant promotional activity in Japan, which includes everything from promotions to support the marketing of Spanish tourist destinations, products and services to media and social media campaigns.”