All Nippon Airways Co. plans to terminate its service between Narita and Incheon, near Seoul, from March 31 as demand on the route has decreased amid intensifying competition, company officials said.
ANA currently operates one daily round-trip flight between Narita International Airport and Incheon Airport. The seat occupancy rate on the route remained at around 60 percent in September and October, compared with an average 80 percent for other international routes, the carrier said.
"More low-cost carriers and foreign airlines are expected to launch the (Narita-Seoul) route down the road, while demand for our flights has not grown," an ANA official said Monday.
ANA also said termination of service on the route, launched in 1988, reflects the fact that more business passengers prefer to use its flights between Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Gimpo Airport in Seoul, where the carrier flies three round-trip flights a day.
AirAsia Japan Co., partially owned by ANA, started service between Narita and Incheon on Oct. 28.
Osaka-Cairo flights return
About 250 passengers arrived in Cairo early Monday aboard an Egypt Air nonstop flight from Kansai airport in Osaka — a service that was resumed after being suspended about 22 months due to political unrest resulting from the Arab Spring democracy movement.
On arrival at Cairo International Airport, Egyptian Tourism Minister Hisham Zazou welcomed the Japanese and other passengers in the airport lobby, handing flowers to each of them.
Although protests have again hit Egypt after President Mohammed Morsi's actions to revise the constitution, the minister told the tourists not to worry as the demonstrations have generally been peaceful.