Japanese Star Alliance member All Nippon Airways (ANA) has recently announced three new routes from their hub Tokyo-Haneda (HND) to the European airports of Stockholm (ARN), Milan (MXP) and Istanbul (IST). Each of these airports will receive three weekly visits from an ANA Boeing 787 Dreamliner. With Istanbul, there is only one airport among these three that offers Star Alliance connectivity, serving as a hub for ANA’s partner Turkish Airlines.
Offering Non-stop Options in Stockholm
The most interesting addition to the network might be the Swedish capital, Stockholm. The destination is a rather small market. And the inaugural flight is scheduled for January 31, 2025 – a solid five months after Stockholm native Scandinavian Airlines completes its Alliance switch from Star Alliance to SkyTeam. Since there is not much connectivity for passengers coming from Japan, this route seems to be aimed at getting people from Scandinavia to Japan without changing planes.
ANA sends a premium heavy Boeing 787-8 with 32 business class, 14 premium economy and just 138 economy class seats to Sweden. That is unsurprising, as the rotation consists of two long red-eye flights. This is the fight data:
NH 221: TokyoHND00.30 – StockholmARN21.10, operated on Tuesdays, Fridays and SundaysNH 222: StockholmARN09.35 – TokyoHND07.20 +1, operated on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays
ANA’s service will be the only nonstop connection between Stockholm and Japan.
Connecting with Turkish Airlines in Istanbul
The shortest flight of the three new destinations connects Haneda to Turkish Airlines’ major hub in Istanbul. In contrast to Stockholm, this airport offers major connectivity for inbound travellers from Japan. Turkish Airline’s vast network covers plenty of destinations in Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. While niche markets, ANA’s flight enables shorter connecting times for Japanese travellers to plenty of them.
ANA uses the same members of its Boeing 787-8 fleet to Istanbul that they send to Stockholm. The rotation features a westbound daytime flight and another red-eye on the way back to Japan. The inaugural service is set to leave Tokyo on February 12, 2025.
NH 219: TokyoHND08.15 – IstanbulIST15.55, operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and SaturdaysNH 220: IstanbulIST18.10 – TokyoHND11.20 +1, operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays
ANA’s service adds an alternative to Turkish Airlines’ daily flights from Istanbul to Haneda, Narita and Osaka.
Aiming at Premium Traffic in Milan
Among the three new destinations, Milan stands out, because the route starts the earliest (on December 3, 2024, almost two months before the other flights commence). The city also receives the largest capacity plane, as ANA sends a member of its Boeing 787-9 fleet to Milan. The long-haul version offers 48 lie-flat-seats in business class, 21 in premium economy and only 146 economy chairs. This is very typical for a destination like Milan, which has the highest business class demand in and out of Italy.
While Malpensa airport has been abandoned by Italy’s largest carrier ITA Airways, the airport might see a resurgence when ANA’s Star Alliance partner Lufthansa takes over. The German airlines’ purchase of ITA has recently been green-lit by the European Union.
As it is the case with Stockholm, the rotation between Japan and Northern Italy will include two red-eye flights, giving business travellers plenty of opportunity to rest.
NH 221: TokyoHND01.05 – MilanMXP08.30, operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and SundaysNH 222: MilanMXP10.30 – TokyoHND07.30 +1, operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
At the time of writing, there is no scheduled non-stop passenger traffic between Milan and Japan.
Bottom Line
All Nippon Airways has announced three new non-stop connections between Europe and Japan for its winter schedule. While the frequency hints at a rather cautious attempt, ANA re-opens markets, that have been abandoned after the pandemic. Both Stockholm and Milan receive their first non-stops to Japan in a while. On the route to Istanbul, ANA now offers an alternative to Turkish Airlines.
While the Japanese carrier is not known for its budget-friendly pricing, the service and board product is among the world’s finest in all three travel classes. And more competition is always good news. At the moment, we can’t say anything about prices, as tickets will go on sale on Monday, July 22.