Iberia This Sunday, October 27, flights between Madrid and Tokyo will debut, establishing the only direct connection between Spain and Japan. The flight will take off from T4 of the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport at 11:55 a.m., with 352 passengers, completely full. After a 14-hour flight, it will land at Narita International Airport in Tokyo at 10:45 a.m. on October 28 (local time).
This new route was born with the objective of expand Iberia’s presence in Asia, after the good results of the daily flight to Doha, in Qatar, inaugurated in December 2023, according to the airline. The company adds that this operation is part of the promotional actions promoted by Madrid Turismo by IFEMA, promoted by the Community of Madrid, the Madrid City Council and IFEMA MADRID, and in which the companies and associations that make up the Roundtable collaborate. Tourism experts from the capital, among which is Iberia. The initiative also has the support of the central government through Turespaña.
The company expects that the opening to this new market will generate, in the first year of operation, 100 million euros to the GDP of both countries and create nearly 1,900 direct and indirect jobs. “The opening of a new route always fills us with excitement, but this is even more so if possible and that We had to suspend our flights to Tokyo due to the pandemic. From today we offer the only option that directly connects Spain with Japan, non-stop, and we do it three times a week, which means about 90,000 seats between both countries in the first year of operation. Our ambition is to increase flight frequencies in 2025 to offer many more possibilities to travelers,” he noted. Marco Sansavinipresident of Iberia.
Iberia offers three flights a week between Madrid and Tokyo with Airbus A-350 aircraft, the most modern and efficient model in its fleet, with capacity for 348 customers in classes businesspremium tourist and tourist. The company will fly from Spain to Japan on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; The reverse 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 in the entire Iberia network, lasting 14 hours one way and 16 hours returning. On both routes, we fly towards the East, as a result of the closure of Russian airspace and the direction of the winds, flying over, among others, the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and Greenland.
Given the distance and complexity of the route, the technical crew operating these flights is doubled, the company reports. In total, it is made up of 4 pilots – 2 commanders and 2 co-pilots – and 10 cabin crew, of which there will always be at least three of Japanese nationality to properly serve Japanese passengers. The entertainment system includes Japanese movies, series and games; There are also newspapers and magazines in Japanese. With the aim of serving Japanese passengers, a call centr with Japanese staff, with hours from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“High value tourism”
“The inauguration of this route represents a key step in our positioning as a destination in Asia, a key axis in our strategy aimed at attracting “high-value tourists”said Luis Martín Izquierdo, Deputy Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community of Madrid.
For his part, Héctor Coronel, Director of Tourism of the Madrid City Council, added: “Madrid offers unique experiences that Japanese tourists will fall in love with. With the presence of large international luxury chains and with the essence and hospitality of Spanish brands, our city presents itself as a welcoming destination that combines tradition and avant-garde.” Daniel Martínez, executive vice president of Ifema Madrid, has stressed that this new direct connection will be “the perfect lever to boost the arrival of Japanese tourists to Madrid, as well as materialize the results of the promotional campaigns that we have been running for months in key destinations in Asia. -Pacific, in countries like Japan, Singapore, China, Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand.”
Miguel Sanz, general director of Turespaña, added that “Japan has been and continues to be a strategic market” for Spain. “The profile of the Japanese visitor stands out for its high level of spending, as well as its interest in Spanish art and culture. Turespaña develops a very relevant promotional activity in Japan that includes everything from actions to support the marketing of Spanish tourist destinations, products and services, to campaigns in the media and social networks.”
