The three leading Middle Eastern carriers – Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways – expect Japan to become a lucrative route next year.

Emirates said yesterday it will launch non-stop flights between Dubai and Japan's capital city of Tokyo starting March 28, 2010.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said last month it has received traffic rights to launch services to Nagoya and Tokyo in the first quarter of 2010, marking the airline's first destinations in Japan.

Doha's Qatar Airways, too, aims to launch daily flights to Tokyo early next year.

But while Emirates has already received regulatory approvals to start Tokyo flights, both Etihad and Qatar Airways are awaiting respective official sanctions.

"We have always stated our desire to expand our links with Japan – a market we are extensively committed to. During the seven years of our operations to and from Osaka, Emirates embarked on a multi-million dollar programme to promote the route through our global network of offices in more than 60 countries," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, said in a statement.

Asked if Etihad Airways has received approval to launch Japan flights, a spokesperson told Emirates Business that the airline would communicate once it has regulatory approval and firm dates. Similarly, a Qatar Airways spokesperson confirmed that the airline has received traffic rights to fly to Tokyo. However, the airline did not comment on the status of regulatory approval.

With the regulatory approval, while Etihad will operate a four flights per week service to Nagoya, via Beijing, from February 1, increasing to five flights a week from March 27, it would operate five flights a week direct service to Tokyo's Narita airport from March 27.

Both Qatar Airways and Emirates operate daily services to Osaka at present. Tokyo will be Emirates' 102nd international destination and closely follows the recent launch of operations to Durban and Luanda.

The airline pulled out of Nagoya in February last year (having launched it in 2006) as the route proved to be uneconomical, and has "no plans" to reinstate the service on that route, according to an Emirates spokesperson.

With the total trade between Japan and the UAE resting at more than $40 billion (Dh147bn), as per October 2009 statistics, Japan is the second largest foreign investor in the UAE with foreign direct investments of more than $4bn.

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