Malaysia Airlines Inaugurates Flights To Tokyo Haneda

Malaysia Airlines

IATA/ICAO Code:

MH/MAS

Airline Type:

Full Service Carrier

Hub(s):

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Year Founded:

May 1st, 1947

Alliance:

oneworld

CEO:

Izham Ismail

Country:

Malaysia

Malaysia Airlines has launched its first direct flight between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Haneda as part of a new twice-weekly service. The airline held a ceremony before the first flight, operated by an Airbus A330-300, departed KL in the afternoon.

Malaysia Airlines inaugurates KL to Tokyo

Malaysia Airlines' new direct service between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Haneda is up and running after the carrier launched its first flight today. Flight MH36 (JL7096) took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) at 15:00 local time, arriving at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) at 23:25.

The carrier announced its plan for a twice-weekly direct service between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Haneda in May, taking it to four Japanese airports in total.

Passengers received a goodie bag before boarding the flight. Photo: Malaysia Airlines

MH already flies to Tokyo out of Kuala Lumpur, but flights arrive at Narita International Airport (NRT), the city's busiest international airport. The airline also serves the city of Osaka from Kuala Lumpur and operates a service between Kota Kinabulu and NRT.

Malaysia Airlines said,

"The new service will support Malaysia Airlines' current Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo Narita operations, enabling more convenient and convenient itineraries and connectivity to destinations outside of Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo via the corresponding international hubs in Japan."

Prior to this service launching, Malaysia Airlines and Japan Airlines expanded their codeshare relationship to include this route.

The full schedule is as follows:

Flight MH36 (Sun, Wed) - Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo Haneda - departs KUL at 14:45, arrives at HND at 22:45.
Flight MH37 (Mon, Thu) - Tokyo Haneda to Kuala Lumpur - departs HND at 00:25, arrives at KUL at 06:15.

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Airport ceremony sees off first flight

Malaysia Airlines arranged a pre-flight ceremony to commemorate the launch of the inaugural service. This included choreographed cultural dance performances, while passengers were gifted goodie bags from Malaysia Airlines and Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad.

Malaysian soccer team Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club was onboard the inaugural flight. Photo: Malaysia Airlines

Interestingly, a Malaysian soccer team - Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club (JDTFC) - were among the passengers on this inaugural flight. The team made history as the first Malaysian side to qualify for the Asian Champions League (ACL) final 16 stage, which is being held in Japan.

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MH's Airbus A330-300 fleet

Flights between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Haneda will be operated by Malaysia Airlines' Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The airline's A330-300s seat 290 passengers - 27 in business class, 16 in economy with extra legroom, and 247 in standard economy.

Malaysia Airlines has a total of 15 Airbus A330-300s and another nine Airbus A330-200s. The carrier has made some big moves in terms of its international network in recent weeks, including restoring its pre-COVID schedule to London and doubling Doha flights as part of a partnership with Qatar Airways.

Have you booked a flight on this new direct service between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Haneda? Have you flown onboard a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-300 before? Let us know what you think of the airline and its operations in the comment section.