Double Japanese Treat For Air India – Incoming New Tokyo Flight and ANA Codeshare

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– last modified

February 27, 2026

Not much is known of how things are going within the Air India group following the merger with Vistara. The airline is not publicly traded and therefore has no obligation whatsoever to keep us in the loop of what is going on within the organization. All we know is that the airline is continuing to push forward with its fleet modernization, along with partnership deals and new route announcements. The latter two are exactly what I’ll be covering in today’s article. Air India has just made two announcements, both regarding Japan. A new route and a new partnership.

More of a Relocation Than a New Route to Tokyo for Air India

Well, more than a new flight per se, it’s more like a relocation for Air India from one airport to another. Currently, until March 30th 2025, Air India operates its flights from Delhi to the Japanese capital landing at Tokyo Narita International Airport. That is Tokyo’s second international airport which is situated a full hour out of downtown Tokyo.

An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (registration VT-ANU) on final approach with landing gear deployed, displaying the airline’s distinctive white livery with red and orange ‘Flying Swan’ tail logo. This aircraft type will continue to serve Air India’s Delhi-Tokyo route when operations relocate from Narita to the more centrally located Haneda Airport on March 31, 2025, despite featuring the older 2-2-2 business class configuration mentioned in the article.

However, come March 31st 2025, the airline will be shifting its operations away from this facility. It will be instead operating flights to the much more central and convenient Tokyo Haneda Airport. Haneda contrary to Narita is situated just minutes away from downtown Tokyo and is by far the preferred choice for passengers ending their journey here.

Non-surprisingly Air India’s CCO Nipun Aggarwal released very pleased and positive comments regarding this upcoming operational change.

“Moving our flights to Haneda Airport is a significant advantage for our guests – it brings them much closer to the centre of Tokyo. With this shift, we are not only connecting two vibrant capitals more effectively but also helping boost trade and tourism between India and Japan”

Close-up view of an Air India Airbus A350-900’s forward fuselage showcasing the airline’s new livery with bold red ‘AIR INDIA’ branding on white body. The aircraft features the Indian flag displayed prominently near the cockpit windows along with the Star Alliance logo, indicating Air India’s membership in the global airline network. Ground service equipment is visible beneath the aircraft, which is not currently assigned to the Delhi-Tokyo Haneda route that will continue to be operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners.

New Timings, Old Plane For Air India’s Tokyo Airport Relocation

Flights will continue to have the same frequency, 4x weekly, on the Delhi to Tokyo Haneda route, while also retaining the same aircraft type for the service: the Boeing 787-8. These are neither the most modern nor comfortable aircraft in the Air India fleet. Unfortunately they are part of the aging older part of the Indian carrier’s fleet which have seen better days. Nonetheless the airline has these planes fitted with a 2 class configuration featuring:

18 Business Class Seats (in a rather outdated 2-2-2 layout)
238 Economy Class Seats (in a standard 3-3-3 layout)

Interior view of Mumbai International Airport’s terminal with elegant wooden ceiling panels and distinctive pendant lighting. Through the large glass windows, several Air India aircraft with their iconic red and white livery featuring the ‘Flying Swan’ tail logo are visible on the tarmac. Empty seating areas in the foreground suggest a quiet period at the terminal, with the airport apron and city skyline visible in the background.

The frequency, as touched on above, will remain the same but the timings won’t. Tokyo Haneda is a much more congested and slot limited airport. Therefore, Air India had to make some adjustments in its schedule in order to get its hands on that precious Haneda landing slot. Timings will shift by a few hours:

AI358: Departs Delhi (DEL) at 2020 Hrs, arrives next day at Tokyo Haneda (HND) at 0755 Hrs – every Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays.
AI357: Departs Tokyo Haneda (HND) at 11:50, arrives at Delhi (DEL) at 17:25 – every Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays.

Japan A Growing Destination Worldwide (Not Only For Business)

Japan is a very interesting case to look at for air travel demand. The East Asian country has always been an extremely popular destination for business, however, things have been changing in the last couple of years.

Japan, thanks to or caused by depending on points of view, has become more and more attractive as a tourist destinations. Its currency, the Yen, has been depreciating since after 2020 therefore making travel and stays in the country much more affordable and accessible to a much wider audience.

Iconic view of Mount Fuji with its snow-capped peak rising majestically above the Japanese landscape at dawn or dusk, with a traditional pagoda of Chureito Temple visible in the foreground. This classic Japanese scene represents the country's growing appeal as a tourist destination, which the article notes has seen a 40% increase in Indian visitors in 2024 alone, partly due to the weakening yen making travel to Japan more affordable. The image illustrates why Air India's move from Tokyo Narita to the more central Haneda Airport will better serve increasing tourism demand. — Iconic view of Mount Fuji with its snow-capped peak rising majestically above the Japanese landscape at dawn or dusk, with a traditional pagoda of Chureito Temple visible in the foreground. This classic Japanese scene represents the country’s growing appeal as a tourist destination, which the article notes has seen a 40% increase in Indian visitors in 2024 alone, partly due to the weakening yen making travel to Japan more affordable. The image illustrates why Air India’s move from Tokyo Narita to the more central Haneda Airport will better serve increasing tourism demand.

Airlines has rapidly come to understand this new travel trend and have been increasing services or even opening totally new routes to intercept Japan-bound traffic. In 2024 (January to December) over 233,000 people, from India alone, visited Japan. That is a 40% increase over the prior year. No doubt shifting its flights from Narita to Haneda will make Air India all the more attractive as a travel option in coming months.

And There’s Also The Air India-ANA Codeshare Deal Update

Lastly let’s touch on the other piece of news coming from Air India and ANA. The two airlines will be powering up, starting the day after Air India’s relocation to Haneda (April 1st 2025), their standing codeshare agreement.

Reciprocally the two airline will be applying their own flight number on the other’s service on select routes. Air India will apply its flight number on ANA flights to:

Fukuoka
Hiroshima
Nagoya
Okinawa
Osaka
Sapporo

Likewise ANA will be applying its own flight number on Air India operated service, such as those from Delhi to:

Delhi
Ahmedabad
Bengaluru
Chennai
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Pune

Tail fins of Air India and ANA (All Nippon Airways) aircraft parked side by side against a clear blue sky, symbolizing their expanded codeshare partnership. The Air India tail features its traditional red, gold and purple color scheme with subtle Jali pattern, while the ANA tail displays its distinctive dark blue livery with white 'ANA' lettering. This visual representation illustrates the strengthened alliance between the two carriers that will begin April 1, 2025, allowing passengers to seamlessly connect between Indian cities and Japanese destinations on a single booking. — Tail fins of Air India and ANA (All Nippon Airways) aircraft parked side by side against a clear blue sky, symbolizing their expanded codeshare partnership. The Air India tail features its traditional red, gold and purple color scheme with subtle Jali pattern, while the ANA tail displays its distinctive dark blue livery with white ‘ANA’ lettering. This visual representation illustrates the strengthened alliance between the two carriers that will begin April 1, 2025, allowing passengers to seamlessly connect between Indian cities and Japanese destinations on a single booking.

Therefore passengers will be able to travel onwards on a single reservation and booking, hence making travel more comfortable and convenient across India and Japan.

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Alex Achille

Ex Emirates Cabin Crew and long time aviation enthusiast. I can remember loving aviation and planes since I was a very little boy. I have developed my passion into a deep knowledge of the sector and industry to offer on my sites in depth and precise analyses of what is going on. I also completed cabin crew training with Ryanair, however, I never worked for the company (more on that another time). Finally I also have taken flying lessons completing my first solo flights.