Delta Air Lines has just become the latest American carrier to announce an expansion of its services to Asia. Starting this October, the airline will launch nonstop service from Honolulu to Tokyo Haneda.

Once again flying from Honolulu to Japan

Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been slower in some parts of the world, with Asia having been hit extremely hard, especially China. Just yesterday, United Airlines' schedule was updated to reflect the delay of the relaunch of several of the carrier's China routes. Slowly but surely, the United States - Asia market is recovering. Earlier today, Delta Air Lines announced the launch of a Tokyo route from Hawaii.

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From October 28, the Atlanta-based carrier will offer flights from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (HNL) to Haneda International Airport in Tokyo (HND). The daily nonstop service will be operated by the airline's Boeing 767-300ERs set in a four-cabin configuration. Delta previously connected Hawaii with Japan with flights from Honolulu to Narita International Airport, but the airline moved all of its Tokyo operations to Haneda in 2020.

Delta's Managing Director and President - Japan, Victor Osumi, spoke on the significance of the new route,

"As travel demand gradually recovers in Japan, we decided to add the new Honolulu service to our HND network. Our commitment to both markets remains strong. Customers will enjoy more options and destinations from Haneda, with Delta's unparalleled premium experience on the ground and in the air."

The new service from Honolulu to Haneda is a small fraction of Delta's operations in Japan, which are limited to Haneda. In October, the airline has 324 flights scheduled in both directions. Delta flies to Haneda from six of its hubs, and Honolulu will become the seventh route to the Tokyo airport.

Who else flies between Honolulu and Japan?

According to schedule data from Cirium, five airlines will fly from Honolulu to Japan in October: Delta, Japan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA), and Zipair. There are 697 flights in both directions, and Japan Airlines has the highest market share between the American island and its home country. Of the nearly 700 flights, 258 will be operated by Japan Airlines.

Hawaiian Airlines is not far behind the Japanese carrier. Though it has two fewer flights in October, its seat offering is significantly higher, 71,168, compared to Japan Airlines' 57,486. Even ANA, which has more than 100 fewer flights than Japan Airlines, has a greater seat offering. In October, ANA has 62,520 seats available between Hawaii and Japan, deploying its Airbus A380s.

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Honolulu is the only Hawaiian city with Japanese service. But Tokyo Haneda and Narita, Fukuoka, Osaka, and Nagoya are all connected to the Hawaiian capital. The busiest routes are broken down below:

What do you think of the latest addition to Delta's network? Let us know in the comments below.