Airport News Japan

“Commemorative Flights” by Skymark for Ibaraki Airport’s Opening - Speculation on Preparations for Operating Commercial Flights

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A Skymark B737-800 taxing at Haneda.

Ohta Ward, Tokyo-based Skymark Airlines will fly “commemorative airport opening flights” between Ibaraki and Kobe, and Ibaraki and Haneda, when Ibaraki Airport in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture opens on March 11th.

There will be four commemorative flights, with two from Kobe to Ibaraki, one from Ibaraki to Kobe and one from Ibaraki to Haneda. Boeing 737-800s seating 177 passengers each will be used on all the flights. One-way fares on the three flights to and from Kobe will be 6,000 yen (with a discount applying to roundtrip flights between Ibaraki and Kobe), and a one-way ticket to Haneda will be 5,000 yen. Fares on the Ibaraki-Kobe flights will be roughly half what Skymark charges for commercial flights between Haneda and Kobe. Reservations were taken starting January 30th through the airline’s website and reservation center, and all seats were filled within a few days.

The only regular flights at the time of Ibaraki Airport’s opening will be to Seoul on South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines. Ibaraki Prefecture and the airport are continuing to try and lure airlines to fly routes serving the airport, and speculation is that Skymark is considering operating domestic commercial flights there.

At present, the first flight when the airport opens is likely to be a commemorative airport opening flight by Skymark scheduled to arrive from Kobe at 9:30 a.m..

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