Japan Airlines eyes Melbourne non-stop flights

Japan Airlines is setting its sights on a new daily non-stop service between Tokyo Narita and Melbourne. This will be the second destination in Australia after Sydney.

While Japan Airlines does also serve Cairns and Gold Coast non-stop, and Perth via Singapore, these are codeshare flights operated by partner airlines.

Previously, this has also been the case for its services to Melbourne, which currently transit in Singapore and are operated by fellow oneworld member, Qantas.

The new Japan Airlines-operated non-stop flights are set to begin on September 1 this year, operated by the carrier’s tri-class B787-8. These, notably, are equipped with the airline’s fully flat Sky Suite seats in business class – 38 to be exact – laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration. The B787-8 also has 35 premium economy seats (2-3-2) and 88 economy seats (2-4-2).

The new route will depart Tokyo in the morning and arrive in Melbourne at night, while the return leg will depart the Victoria capital at midnight and arrive in the morning back at Narita. That said, the precise times are set to change in October following adjustment for Daylight Saving Time.

Full details of the flights are as follows (all times local):

jal.co.jp