Japan Airlines will be giving India’s southern city of Bengaluru its first non-stop connection to Japan in summer 2020 with daily flights between the Karnataka state capital and Tokyo.
The route will be Japan Airlines’ second to India after New Delhi and is aimed especially at providing travellers from North America more feasible connections to the Indian city, a growing IT hub sometimes dubbed the “Silicon Valley of India”.
Flights will operate daily: the departing flight will leave Tokyo Narita at 1825 and arrive at Bengaluru just after midnight at 0005 the following day, while the return leg will fly out of Bengaluru at 0245 and land back at Tokyo at 1455.
The service cuts out the need for a stopover in Kuala Lumpur and connecting onto services operated by fellow Oneworld alliance carrier, Malaysia Airlines.
Japan Airlines’ Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner will fly the route. The carrier has three configurations for this aircraft, and at this stage it is unclear which of these will be flying to Bengaluru.
Two of these feature the airline’s enclosed, fully flat JAL Sky Suite in the business class cabin. These seats are laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration, though the design of the seats provides passengers with access to the aisle without needing to clamber over their neighbours.
One of Japan Airlines’ three configurations for the 787-8 (seat map below) also offers a premium economy cabin – JAL Sky Premium – so it is possible this class of travel will be available on flights between Tokyo and Bengaluru.
Tickets have yet to go on sale for the new Bengaluru service. Flights and schedules are still subject to regulatory approval, and seats will go on sale “when plans are finalised”, the airline said in statement on its official website.
