British Airways bullish about Haneda service; hoping for wider access to slots

British Airways GM Asia Pacific Jamie Cassidy express confidence that the carrier would soon have access to a wider range of arrival and departure times at Tokyo Haneda Airport (Daily Yomiuri, 21-Feb-2011). One of the key factors to being effective as an international hub is "access at the times when airlines need to fly, and that depends on which geography you're flying into and out of," Mr Cassidy said. Mr Cassidy was bullish on British Airways' prospects at Haneda Airport, stating there has been significant growth in demand for international travel to/from Japan, particularly in the past six months, in the business and leisure sectors

British Airways: "From memory, [there will be] UK-Japan government talks this year, and I know it will be very much on the agenda from the UK side. I would anticipate, maybe not immediately but in the near future, that we'll see some relaxation ... of the window when we can operate. We are very confident that putting additional capacity into Japan at this moment in time is exactly the right thing to do ... The partial opening of Haneda to international traffic is a huge step forward of Haneda's service, bringing great benefits to both business and leisure travellers. We would like to work closely with the Japanese authorities to bring about further liberalization in the aviation sector, and even greater choice and benefits to our customers," Jamie Cassidy, GM Asia Pacific. Source: Daily Yomiuri, 21-Feb-2011.