Shandong Airlines adds Tokyo to its international network

Shandong Airlines, a fully-owned subsidiary of Air China, on 18 August launched a thrice-weekly service between Jinan (TNA) and Tokyo Haneda (HND). The 2,023-kilometre route is not served by any other carrier. Flights depart Jinan at 22:45 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays arriving in Japan at 03:00 the following day. The return service leaves Tokyo at 04:30 getting in to Jinan at 07:20. This is the airline’s third route between China and Japan as it already links Jinan and Qingdao with Osaka Kansai on a daily basis. This new route, operated by the airline’s 737-800s, means that the carrier now has around 1.4% of the seat capacity between China and Japan, well behind market leaders China Eastern Airlines (22.2%), All Nippon Airways (18.1%) and Air China (15.6%). Apart from Japan, Shandong Airlines also serves destinations in Cambodia, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.