Japan Airlines, which nearly four years ago resumed its nonstop service out of San Diego, announced this week that it will be expanding the flight’s frequency to seven days a week for the summer season.
The new daily service will start March 30 and continue through Oct. 25. The flight now operates four days a week.
The airline cited high demand for the change.
According to San Diego International Airport officials, the number of passengers traveling from San Diego to Asia increased by about 25% between 2023 and 2024. And the demand for service between here and Asia has nearly returned to pre-pandemic numbers.
The nonstop flight, which has proved popular for both business and leisure travelers, made its debut in 2012. But when COVID-19 arrived in 2020, the pandemic quickly shut down international travel. Once Japan Airlines restarted the flight in and out of San Diego in March 2021, it began with a three days-a-week flight and gradually ramped up to four days.
In its news release, the airline states that it currently has no announcements on flight schedules beyond Oct. 25 and that those will come later. For now, the new daily San Diego-Tokyo flight is considered seasonal, and it’s unclear if it will return to four days a week after October.
The Japan flight is one of a handful of overseas nonstops that have gradually come to San Diego International Airport. British Airways flies nonstop to London, Lufthansa has a nonstop to Munich, and starting in May, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will fly three times a week between San Diego and Amsterdam.
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