Delta Air Lines is again applying for federal approval to launch flights from Atlanta to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Atlanta-based Delta already flies from Hartsfield-Jackson International to Tokyo's Narita Airport, but Haneda is closer to Tokyo's city center. If approved, Delta would fly the Atlanta-Haneda route with the Boeing 777.
Delta is also applying to the U.S. Department of Transportation for routes to Haneda from Seattle, Detroit, Portland and Honolulu. Atlanta is third on Delta’s priority list for Haneda routes, behind its Asian gateways of Seattle and Detroit.
It's not the first time Delta has applied for Atlanta-Tokyo Haneda service. In 2016, Delta applied for the route along with other routes to Haneda, and was approved for flights to Haneda from Los Angeles and Minneapolis but not from Atlanta.
“Connecting Tokyo to the world’s busiest global aviation hub will give the Southeast United States its first nonstop access to Haneda,” Delta says in its application submitted Thursday. “Delta is the only U.S. carrier serving Asia from the Southeast, and has seen growing success with its current Narita service. Given the demand premium for daytime service to Haneda, Delta projects even greater success for this proposed flight.”
If Delta gets approval for the Atlanta-Haneda route, it’s yet to be seen what would happen with the Atlanta-Narita route. A spokesman for the airline said Delta would “look at options regarding Narita.”
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