Delta Air Lines Resuming Flights From Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport To Tokyo

After over three years, Delta Air Lines is finally resuming its nonstop flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport to Tokyo. The first flight will depart Minneapolis at 11:05 local time and arrive at Tokyo Haneda International Airport at 14:05.

Increasing flights to Japan

Japan only reopened for tourism last October, but American carriers have quickly resumed their routes to the Asian nation. As spring has just begun and the cherry blossoms are blooming, flights are packed with those hoping to witness the beautiful sights of Japan at this time of year. Atlanta-based carrier Delta Air Lines is resuming its flights to Tokyo from its hub at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) tomorrow, making it the carrier's fifth Japanese route to return.

Photo: Airbus

Minneapolis is the last Delta hub scheduled to relaunch flights to Japan, with flights from Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, and Detroit already in operation. Each flight operates daily, equating to almost 1,500 daily seats from five Delta hubs to HND. According to schedule data from Cirium, Delta scheduled 256 roundtrip flights to Japan in March, totaling more than 75,000 seats.

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Delta deploys its Airbus widebodies on its Japan routes. The Airbus A350-900 operates flights from Atlanta and Detroit, and the A330neo is used on flights from Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Seattle. In 2019, Delta chose to stop flying to Tokyo's Narita airport and shifted its focus to Haneda, located much closer to the city, making it easier for passengers to reach their destinations on arrival.

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350 taxiing to the runway.

Photo: Airbus

Last year, Delta opened a SkyClub at Haneda, making it the only US airline to operate a lounge at the airport. The Club features a premium bar serving seasonal cocktails, wines, beers, spirits, and Japanese sake – all of which are complimentary for guests. A specialty, made-to-order noodle bar staffed by a dedicated chef will provide a delicious taste of the popular regional cuisine. A buffet bar will serve international and Asian-inspired meals prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients in the Club's restaurant-quality kitchen.

Recovery to China

Recovery of the United States - China market has been one of the slowest. It was not until last month that China finally removed its COVID restrictions for travelers, leading carriers to announce they would once again begin flying there. But American carriers have been hesitant to resume flying to China. In March, Delta only has 17 flights scheduled to China. The airline operates flights to Shanghai from its hubs at DTW and SEA with its A350-900 and A330neo aircraft, respectively. Each flight currently operates twice-weekly but will increase to daily from May 8.

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Delta's Asia network

Currently, Delta only flies to three Asian destinations, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Seoul. Between the three, the carrier has 556 roundtrip flights scheduled this month from the same five hubs that fly to Haneda, totaling 11 routes. The Airbus A350-900 is Delta's most used aircraft on Asia flights, with 326 of the 556 flights in March operated by the A350.