Iberia announced today that starting October 27, 2024, it will begin non-stop flights between Madrid and Tokyo-Narita, marking the company’s return after four years not only to this route but also to the entire Asian market.
Flights will depart from Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 12:00, arriving in Tokyo at 10:10 the following day, after 14 hours and 10 minutes; the return from Narita Airport will be on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays, taking off at 12:20 to land in Madrid at 20:20 the same day after 16 hours of flight.
See also: Iberia Bolsters Operations with Non-Stop Madrid-Doha Service for Winter 2023/2024
The route between Madrid and Tokyo-Narita will be operated with Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with a capacity of 348 passengers (31 in Business, 24 in Premium Economy, and 293 in Economy). This will translate into an offer of around 45,000 seats for the winter season between October 2024 and March 2025. Tickets are available starting from 931 euros round trip.
“The return to Tokyo is great news. It represents Iberia’s return to Japan, where it began operations in 1986, and along with the recent addition of direct flights to Doha, it confirms our strong commitment to Asia,” said María Jesús López Solás, Commercial Director and Network and Alliances Development of Iberia.
“The economic growth of the countries in this continent is immense, as all forecasts for the coming decades indicate. From Iberia, we want to show the potential of Madrid as a gateway to Spain, the rest of Europe, and Latin America to connect both parts of the world,” she added.
Indeed, the company has scheduled the timings between Madrid and Tokyo to allow connections not only from and to its European network but also towards Latin America, thus creating a new bridge between Japan and the American continent through the Barajas Airport.
See also: Iberia will operate 126 weekly flights to the United States by summer 2024
Iberia highlighted that the route between Madrid and Tokyo has been adjusted to avoid flying over Russian airspace, which is closed to Western airlines following the invasion of Ukraine. “Given the fundamental role of winds in route planning, this detour will make a trip around the world since customers who make a round trip with Iberia will fly southbound and return north of Russia, through the Pacific and Arctic Oceans,” they explained.
History of Iberia’s flights to Tokyo
Iberia first flew to Tokyo in 1986 with Boeing 747 aircraft, which at that time required stops in Barcelona and Mumbai. Between 1992 and 1998 they flew non-stop with new Boeing 747s and with Airbus A340-300.
In 2016 the route was resumed with Airbus A330-200 aircraft until the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.
