Airport News Japan

ANA Sightseeing Flight to Take in Solar Eclipse - Charter Flight out of Kagoshima

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A view from an airplane of the past total solar eclipse in South America. Photo ©Osamu Okoshi

On July 22, All Nippon Airways (ANA) will operate a sightseeing charter flight to observe the first total solar eclipse visible in Japan since 46 years ago.

The flight is the Kagoshima Southern Skies Sightseeing Flight chartered by ANA Sales, which is based in Minato Ward, Tokyo. It will depart from Kagoshima Airport and circle the skies south of Kagoshima Prefecture before returning to the airport. Departure is scheduled for 9:55 a.m. and return for 11:55 a.m. As the weather in the air is less likely to be a factor than on the ground, the company says that passengers will be able to enjoy viewing the moment-by-moment transformation as the total eclipse progresses outside the aircraft and a fantastic spectacle of light radiating from the horizon under a pitch black sky. However, as the sun will be high in the sky, the eclipse itself will not be visible.

The aircraft for the flight will be a Boeing 777-200. Each group will have its own row with a window seat for a total of 68 groups (193 seats maximum). Airfare for two people is 80,000 yen and 100,000 yen for a group of three. The ANA Sky Holiday Reservation Center (Fukuoka, Tel: 092-720-8606) began taking reservations on June 1, but the flight has already been fully booked and there is a waiting list for people wishing to step in for cancellations.

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