MADRID- Today (October 27, 2024), Iberia (IB) launched a new non-stop flight between
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), Madrid and Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT), Japan.
The Spanish carrier will operate this route year-round three times a week on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Madrid, and return on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays from Tokyo.
Iberia Madrid to Tokyo Flight
The service for the winter season from Oct 27, 2024, until March 25, 2025, offers more than 45,000 seats to travelers between Spain and Japan.
The route’s unique configuration creates a round-the-world flight pattern, necessitated by current geopolitical restrictions on Russian airspace. The outbound journey from Madrid tracks southward, while the return flight navigates northerly, traversing the Pacific Ocean and Arctic regions.
Here’s the schedule for Iberia’s MAD-NRT flight:
- The daily flight schedule operates as IB281 departing Madrid at 12:00, arriving in Tokyo at 10:10 the following day.
- The return service, IB282, departs Tokyo at 12:20, landing in Madrid at 20:20 the same day.
Iberia has deployed its flagship Airbus A350 aircraft for this transcontinental service. The aircraft accommodates 330 passengers across three cabin classes: 31 in Business, 24 in Premium Economy, and 293 in Economy.
The A350’s advanced Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and cutting-edge materials deliver 30-35% improved fuel efficiency compared to similar aircraft, significantly reducing carbon emissions.
According to FlightRadar24 data, Iberia flight IB281 will be operated by A350 registered as EC-OES. It is a new aircraft and is only nine months old. The aircraft currently serves Latin American routes that take over 10 hours.
History of this Route
Iberia’s Tokyo route reestablishment marks a historic return to both Japan and Asia. The airline first launched Tokyo flights in 1986, operating through Barcelona (BCN) and Mumbai (BOM) stopovers.
In 1992, fleet modernization with Airbus A340 and Boeing 747 aircraft enabled direct Madrid-Tokyo service, which operated until 1998. Iberia revived the route in 2016 until the COVID-19 pandemic disruption in 2020.
María Jesús López Solás, Iberia’s Commercial and Network Development and Alliances Director, emphasizes the strategic importance of this return to Tokyo.
The route launch, alongside new Doha (DOH) flights, reinforces Iberia’s Asian market presence, capitalizing on the region’s projected economic growth. Madrid serves as a crucial gateway, connecting Asia with Spain, Europe, and Latin America.
The flight schedule facilitates connections across Iberia’s extensive network, spanning 140 destinations in 46 countries. This network encompasses 45 Spanish destinations, 56 European locations, 8 African cities, 27 American destinations, and 2 Middle Eastern points.
The Tokyo service integrates with the Siberian Joint Business agreement, uniting Iberia with Japan Airlines (JL), British Airways (BA), and Finnair (AY) for Europe-Japan routes.
Iberia enhances the route’s appeal through its Stopover Hola Madrid program, offering passengers up to six nights in Madrid without additional airfare costs. The program provides hotel, restaurant, and entertainment discounts, attracting approximately 20,000 annual participants.
Apart from Tokyo, the airline is also launching flights to a new winter destination, Innsbruck (INN), Austria. The Madrid-Innsbruck service will be operated from December 1, 2024, to March 26, 2025, utilizing A320neo aircraft for twice-weekly flights. Iberia allocates 11,500 seats for this winter season route to the Tyrolean capital.
Feature Image by (1) Eurospot (@cliper31) / X
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