Air India to start non-stop flight services on Hanoi-Delhi & Tokyo-“Mumbai routes

Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) Air India on Thursday announced the launch of its non-stop flight services on the Hanoi-Delhi and Tokyo (Haneda)-Mumbai routes starting in the June quarter as part of its expansion across Asia.

The Tata group airline already operates to Vietnam and Japan with flights to Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo (Haneda) from the national capital.

The new five-time weekly services to Hanoi, starting from May 1, will complement daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City.

This provides greater flexibility to travellers who intend to visit Vietnam with open jaw itineraries-entering from Hanoi and exiting Ho Chi Minh City or vice versa, Air India said, adding these services will be operated with a A320neo aircraft in a three-calss configuration--business Premium economy as well as Economy Class.

The opening of this new route adds 7,028 seats to and from Vietnam each month, Air India said.

Vietnam, which now ranks as the third-most-visited country in Southeast Asia, having recorded over 20 million visitors in 2025, continues to gain popularity among leisure travellers and corporate groups alike for its soaring tourism and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) movements.

Air India said will also operate non-stop flights four times a week with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, between Mumbai and Tokyo (Haneda) from June, in addition to its Delhi-Tokyo (Haneda) services.

"Japan and Vietnam have both emerged as fast-growing destinations for Indian travellers, while India's economic and commercial ties with both nations continue to deepen and present more opportunities for business and trade on both sides. The launch of these new routes supports this growth and strengthens our presence in the region," said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India.

Japan has rapidly emerged as one of the fastest-growing outbound destinations for Indian travellers, as per the airline.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, over 3,15,000 Indians visited Japan in 2025, representing a 35 per cent increase over 2024 and nearly 80 per cent growth compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Since Air India's privatisation, Aggarwal said, the airline has significantly grown its network across Southeast Asia and the Far East, having added several new routes, optimised flight schedules to enable convenient cross-continent connections, and forged new partnerships with other carriers.

Air India has a codeshare partnership with Star Alliance member airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), to provide its customers convenient onward connections from Tokyo Haneda to six other major cities in Japan--Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Okinawa, Osaka, and Sapporo.

From February 14 this year, Air India increased the frequency between Delhi and Tokyo (Haneda) to seven flights per week from four flights per week earlier, along with upgrading the aircraft to B787-9. PTI IAS RAM MR