News
Turkish Airlines resumes Osaka
May 24th 2019
Osaka Kansai’s new management is eager to increase long-haul connectivity. Read More »
Turkish Airlines will resume Istanbul-Osaka Kansai flights from April 2020. The four weekly 787-9 service will increase to five weekly in June 2020.
Osaka Kansai aims to increase long-haul connectivity after success in growing short-haul international services, notably from Korea and China. Kansai was privatised in April 2016 in a partnership between Japanese financial group Orix and French airport company Vinci.
The management change coincided with route exits. No airline cited the management change. Instead, generic commercial reasons were cited. Turkish in January 2017 withdrew its four weekly A330-200 flights. Qatar Airways in March 2016 withdrew Osaka Kansai, which it had served daily.
Turkish’s resumption will add to the London Heathrow-Osaka Kansai flight British Airways started in March 2019. AirAsia X has mulled launching Osaka Kansai-mainland US flights using fifth freedom traffic rights. AirAsia X already serves Kansai-Honolulu, catering to the outbound Japanese market. Scoot launched and withdrew Kansai-Honolulu flights.
Kansai’s international network is heavily dependent on foreign airlines. The last major local development was JAL’s 2015 resumption of Kansai-Los Angeles.
