Japan and the UAE have strong trade, tourism, and commercial links, which are bolstered by frequent flights by national airlines Etihad Airways and Emirates. Both airlines operate more than 20 weekly flights to Japan. Etihad Airways operates seven weekly flights to Tokyo, while Emirates operates daily flights to Tokyo-Narita, Tokyo-Haneda, and Osaka.
To fulfill the increased demand for travel between the two nations, the two airlines intend to expand their operations in the 'Land of the Rising Sun.' The UAE and Japan have a long history of bilateral connections, according to the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). In 1998, they signed an Air Services Agreement, granting their airlines the right to conduct regular and non-regular passenger flights, as well as air cargo flights, between the two countries.
The UAE's national carriers operate 21 flights each week between Narita and Osaka, according to the GCAA. Since its inaugural flight to Japan in March 2010, Etihad has flown to Tokyo seven times per week. It now intends to increase flights to Japan in October, bringing the total number of weekly flights to 12.
It also intends to increase its service to Japan by adding flights to Osaka beginning in October of this year. Etihad Airways' Japan operations are served by Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Emirates, for its part, serves 26 cities in 10 regions around Japan.
Emirati airports saw 46,776 passengers departing to Japan and 45,804 passengers arriving from Japan in the first half of this year, with 357,214 people transiting through the country's airports. Emirates has operated daily flights to Osaka and Tokyo since 2002, with Narita and Haneda airports serving the Japanese capital.
Emirates' codeshare agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL) connects its clients to 26 cities in Japan and ten regional destinations via Tokyo and Osaka. Emirates also celebrated 20 years of successful operations at Osaka's Kansai International Airport last year, having become the first airline to connect Japan with the Middle East in 2002.