Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has added a new route to its schedule. From 1 June 2020 the airline will offer customers flights from Moscow to Osaka, which will become its second destination in Japan.

Flight times

Although Aeroflot will not be running the Moscow to Osaka route until next summer, it has already announced the flight schedule. Tickets are also now available to purchase.

The outbound leg of the Moscow to Osaka route will depart from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport four times weekly, leaving at 19:05 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Returning from Japan, Aeroflot will also operate flights four times weekly from Kansai Airport. They will depart at 12:45 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Aeroflot’s second destination in Japan

The airline already operates flights to the Japanese capital, Tokyo, having served the route since way back in 1967. It has also operated flights to other Japanese cities in the past, but they have all since been terminated.

But next summer will not be the first time Aeroflot has flown to Osaka. It actually previously ran flights to the city until October 2003, when the route was terminated.

Now, after 16 years, the route will go back online. According to reports by Routes Online, Aeroflot will be using the Airbus A330-200 to carry passengers back and forth between Moscow and Osaka.

Aeroflot’s plans for the future

In a press release published by the airline on Friday, Aeroflot confirmed the importance of the new route as part of a wider expansion. It said,

“The addition of a second destination in Japan strengthens Aeroflot’s offering on transit routes to Asia from Europe and North America.”

The reopening of the Moscow to Osaka route after 16 years can perhaps be seen as a sign of change at Aeroflot. Aeroflot has an order for 14 Airbus A350s, the first of which will arrive early next year, ready for a first flight on 29 March.

The airline was due to receive its first Airbus A350 back in 2018. However, the delivery schedule for the new aircraft had to be postponed until 2020, apparently due to the airline’s poor financial performance.

We’ve already seen what the interior of Aeroflot’s new Airbus A350s will look like. Now, it looks like the airline is planning some new routes for next summer, which should increase its offering for Russians looking to travel abroad.

Back in August, Aeroflot announced it would be running flights from Moscow to Havana, Cuba as of next year.

The flights from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport to Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport will begin operation some time after 1 September 2020.

Simple Flying has reached out to Aeroflot for comment on the new Moscow to Osaka route and will update this article once we receive a response.