United Airlines inaugurated its Tokyo/Narita to Cebu route on October 27th. A launch ceremony was held at Cebu Airport on the 28th to coincide with the departure of the first flight from the locale.
The Tokyo/Narita to Cebu route operates under the fifth freedom rights from Japan, sharing the flight numbers UA32/33 with the Tokyo/Narita to Los Angeles route. The UA32 flight departs Tokyo/Narita at 5:30 PM and arrives at 10:05 PM. The return flight, UA33, leaves Cebu at 9:30 AM and lands at 5:15 PM. The journey takes approximately 5 hours and 35 minutes from Tokyo/Narita, and 4 hours and 45 minutes from Cebu, operated daily by a Boeing 737-800.
The inaugural flight departing Cebu on October 28th, UA33, took more time for preparations and departed 24 minutes behind schedule at 9:54 AM. It was seen off by officials as it took off for Narita.
▲United Airlines Kenichi Kiriyama, President of Sales for Japan & Micronesia
In an interview during the ceremony, Kenichi Kiriyama, President of Sales for Japan & Micronesia at United Airlines, explained the role of the Tokyo/Narita to Cebu route as “aiming to expand the network in the Pacific region”.
The schedule is set to connect in Tokyo/Narita with flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, New York/Newark, and Houston, targeting transfer passengers from North America. Kiriyama referred to the success of the Manila to San Francisco route since its inauguration in 2023, stating “There’s a strong demand for leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) between North America and the Philippines.” He emphasized that “The Tokyo/Narita to Cebu route also plays a complementary role.”
The Tokyo/Narita to Cebu flights are operated using Boeing 737-800s, which are also used for the Tokyo/Narita to Guam route, and staffed with Guam-based crew. Besides, United Airlines plans to launch similar routes from Tokyo/Narita to Koror, Kaohsiung, and Ulaanbaatar in its summer 2025 schedule.
After suspending the Tokyo/Narita to Seoul/Incheon route in 2017, United Airlines’ fifth freedom flights from Japan were halted. Now, with the new route, Narita Airport’s re-emergence as a hub is anticipated. Kiriyama expressed aspirations for expanding fifth freedom routes, suggesting a hub-like role at Narita without officially using the term “hub”. He showed enthusiasm for regional investment and commitment, stating “We are always looking at potential locations. As an American carrier, we are unparalleled in our commitment to regional investments.”
■Schedule UA32 Tokyo/Narita (17:30) to Cebu (22:05) UA33 Cebu (09:30) to Tokyo/Narita (15:15)”
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
