Air India shifts Tokyo operations to Haneda, expands codeshare with ANA, BA

Air India has confirmed its decision to shift operations on the Delhi-Tokyo route to Haneda Airport starting 31 March 2025, providing passengers with faster and more convenient access to central Tokyo. The airline will operate its four weekly flights from Delhi to Tokyo’s Haneda (HND) airport, replacing the current services to Narita (NRT), which is located farther from the city centre. This move allows passengers to save valuable travel time, cutting the road journey from Haneda to Tokyo Station from nearly an hour to just 30 minutes.

In addition to the operational shift, Air India has also expanded its codeshare agreement with Star Alliance partner All Nippon Airways (ANA). From 1 April 2025, Air India will place its ‘AI’ code on ANA flights from Tokyo Haneda to six major cities in Japan: Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Okinawa, Osaka, and Sapporo. This new development will enable Air India passengers to easily book a single ticket for these destinations, with their baggage checked through to the final stop.

Similarly, ANA will place its ‘NH’ code on Air India’s flights between Delhi and Tokyo Haneda as well as several major Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune. This reciprocal arrangement enhances access to both airlines’ networks, facilitating smoother travel for passengers between Japan and India.

“This expanded partnership will strengthen the bridge between our two nations,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India. “It opens up Japan to our guests while enhancing travel convenience and experience for those travelling between India and Japan.”

The move comes as tourism from India to Japan continues to grow, with 233,000 Indian visitors to Japan in 2024, reflecting a 40 per cent increase from the previous year.