QatarA340 From Qatar, joined May 2006, 1619 posts, RR: 7 Posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 4950 times:
Source: Gulf-Times
Quote: QATAR Airways has been granted a licence to use the Narita Airport near Tokyo in Japan from 2010... Under an agreement concluded between air transport officials from the two countries, Qatar Airways will operate seven flights a week between Doha and Tokyo.
The agreement also stipulates that Qatar Airways can increase the number of its flights to Kansai International Airport in Osaka to 14 flights a week, WAM reported. The number of passengers between Japan and Qatar was 131,000 in the last fiscal year...
Seems like QR is set for a Japan expansion. 2010, however, is too far in the future. I wonder why cant they get earlier slots?
Kaitak From Ireland, joined Aug 1999, 11996 posts, RR: 36 Reply 4, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 4615 times:
I'm sure NRT must be very high on EK's wishlist, but one of the problems it has is that most, if not all of its Asian routes leave very late at night (or early in the morning), to make the 5.30am arrival into DXB, for the hub operation. What's the latest an aircraft can depart NRT? 2200?
If you look at EK's current Japan operations, the overnight from KIX leaves at 2315 and arrives into DXB at 0445, while the NGO leaves at 2245 and still has the same arrival time. Assuming they could get the latest possible STD from NRT (2200) and allowing for a 25-30 minute time lag (due to 250mi longer distance), this would get the NRT flight into DXB at about 0400. It's not an insurmountable obstacle, but from the perspective of a passenger flying to Europe, it's not the most welcoming prospect - to spend 3h at any airport connecting, even DXB.
Of course they could just use a slower aircraft; any bets on the A340-300 being used?! (Hardly likely!)
Yes I think you are right on that one. But my question is, will this tactic really work for EK? Especially now that there are HND-HKG flights. I think many customers in Tokyo would prefer to transfer in Hong Kong rather than travelling all the way to NRT and then getting on a EK flight that arrives at an inconvenient time (it sounds like there is no way to extend that curfew). Now if EK gets HND slots, that is going to be killer.
B742 From UK - England, joined Mar 2005, 3760 posts, RR: 21 Reply 6, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 4483 times:
Qatar and Japan recently signed a bilateral deal which allows Qatari and Japanese airlines to expand services between the two countries.
Doha to Tokyo Narita can be operated up to 7 times a week once the second runway has opened in 2010.
Doha to Osaka Kansai can be operated up to 14 times weekly; raising from the current 7 times a week. Cargo flights can also be operated 7 times a week into Osaka.
Japanese carriers can now also operate to Doha from Tokyo (after 2nd runway is complete) and other cities in Japan (KIX/NGO/FUK etc) upto 14 weekly.
Also involved in the deal is codeshare deals; foreign airlines can codeshare on the routes from Qatar to Japan.
Quoting QatarA340 (Thread starter): Seems like QR is set for a Japan expansion. 2010, however, is too far in the future. I wonder why cant they get earlier slots?
Like people above have said, it's all about waiting till the second runway is complete, easing flights and slots.
Quoting Kaitak (Reply 4): I'm sure NRT must be very high on EK's wishlist
Indeed it is; a long with Gulf Air and not surprisingly Etihad Airways.
Petera380 From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 324 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 4329 times:
What am I missing here? NRT already has two runways or are they extending the one where the farmers wouldn't move?
Kaitak From Ireland, joined Aug 1999, 11996 posts, RR: 36 Reply 8, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 4248 times:
Quoting Petera380 (Reply 7): What am I missing here? NRT already has two runways or are they extending the one where the farmers wouldn't move?
Yes, this runway is now quite short and really only suitable for landing with larger aircraft; an extension of this runway will permit takeoffs on longer routes.
Quoting Ktachiya (Reply 5): Now if EK gets HND slots, that is going to be killer.
I'm sure Emirates would happily trade the other six Emirates for six slots at HND, but it won't happen - at least, not in the immediate future. There is a big push in Japan for more international usage of HND and I believe that the prefecture of Yokohama has withheld financial support from the HND expansion, with a view to forcing this. However, it's not clear if this tactic has worked. I can certainly see the initial range limitation being widened and you can bet that there will be pressure from many major international carriers for this to happen. In the medium term, however, EK will have to be satisfied with NRT.
HB-IWC From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4416 posts, RR: 75 Reply 9, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 4179 times:
Quoting Kaitak (Reply 4): It's not an insurmountable obstacle, but from the perspective of a passenger flying to Europe, it's not the most welcoming prospect - to spend 3h at any airport connecting, even DXB.
I wouldn't expect a future NRT DXB flight to carry a lot of connecting European traffic. The EK 7 - 9am morning departure wave carries a lot of other connections as well, which may be targeted, including those to the Middle East, North Africa and the African continent.
Quoting Kaitak (Reply 4): Of course they could just use a slower aircraft
They could do as Air France does. AF277 leaves NRT at 9.55pm and actually slows down enroute to arrive at Paris at a consumer friendly hour, albeit still a little bit early-ish, 04.25am.
Kaitak From Ireland, joined Aug 1999, 11996 posts, RR: 36 Reply 10, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 4170 times:
Quoting HB-IWC (Reply 9): I wouldn't expect a future NRT DXB flight to carry a lot of connecting European traffic. The EK 7 - 9am morning departure wave carries a lot of other connections as well, which may be targeted, including those to the Middle East, North Africa and the African continent.
Perhaps not, but it could carry a lot of Japanese traffic, to cities which don't yet have (or have lost) direct traffic to Japan.
Lightsaber From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 10886 posts, RR: 100 Reply 11, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 4050 times:
This news is a bit surprising as I expected mideast service to be allowed to use HND.
Quoting Carpethead (Reply 3): 2nd runway needs to be extended from 2180 to 2500 meters before just a few additional slots are awarded.
I'd expect EK to get into the mix too.
Its also to allow a rather... interesting taxiway setup to be expanded too. The added capacity is rather minimal. NRT needs a 3rd parallel yesterday...
Quoting Ktachiya (Reply 5): Now if EK gets HND slots, that is going to be killer.
I still hear rumors about EK and HND. If that is the case, it would give EK a huge leg up versus QF. Or... will the mideast airlines all be sent to NRT?
Carpethead From Japan, joined Aug 2004, 2779 posts, RR: 4 Reply 12, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 3821 times:
Quoting Lightsaber (Reply 11): I still hear rumors about EK and HND. If that is the case, it would give EK a huge leg up versus QF. Or... will the mideast airlines all be sent to NRT?
There are a lot of those from all places of the globe.
HND is dead for arrivals from 2200 to 0800 and departures from 2000 to 0600. There are talks to have int'l routes outside of the short-haul international area to utilize those time slots.
For a foreign carrier that will mean parking the aircraft for over 12 hours but if an airline can make arrangements it may happen in 2011.
For example, EK could send an A380 to arrive in HND 0700, park it (HND has lots of remote stands that are not occupied in the day), and return departure at 2300.
Not exactly, the most efficient scheduling but there are places in the world that such occurrences do happen like those on North America to South America routes operated by US aircraft.
Lightsaber From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 10886 posts, RR: 100 Reply 13, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 3664 times:
Quoting Carpethead (Reply 12): Not exactly, the most efficient scheduling
Certainly no worse than EK's New Zealand stops. Interesting information. Thanks.
Kaitak From Ireland, joined Aug 1999, 11996 posts, RR: 36 Reply 15, posted (4 years 9 months 3 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 3571 times:
Quoting Carpethead (Reply 12): For example, EK could send an A380 to arrive in HND 0700, park it (HND has lots of remote stands that are not occupied in the day), and return departure at 2300.
It's an interesting option; although you lose a whole day's utilisation of an aircraft, you do benefit from being the only airline to offer such flights from HND. The main complication here is whether the flights could be scheduled, or would they have to be charters? If the latter, it might not be possible to interline them with pax travelling onwards to Europe or Africa.
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From Qatar, joined May 2006, 1619 posts, 
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Interesting information. Thanks. 
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