Australian pilot explains airport act Japanese crew never fail to do

Australian pilot Darren Howie has revealed the special act Japanese airport crew always do, no matter if it’s rain, hail or shine.

There is a simple tradition at airports in Japan you’ll struggle to spot in Australia or possibly anywhere else in the world.

The crew on the ground bow and wave off each plane as it taxis away from the gate.

Australian pilot Darren Howie who has been flying to Japan since the early 2000s told news.com.au “rain, hail or shine” they are always there to give “the wave off”.

And while pilots and passengers may get a wave at other airports around the world, he said it was “nothing as formal as what they have in Japan”.

Mr Howie said the wave is not just seen at the big airports in Tokyo and Osaka either, but across the country.

“It can get pretty cold up there. It can be -7C or -8C on the ramp with the wind blowing and snowing in Tokyo, or even up in Sapporo, if you ever go skiing up there, it [feels] like -20C in Sapporo in winter time when the wind really blows.

‘[And] they’ll all be out on the side of the ramp saying goodbye to everyone on the aircraft,” he said.

In Japan, it is tradition for ground crew to wave off an aircraft. Picture: Darren Howie / Vortex Aviation Photography

Mr Howie believes it stems from the tradition of waving off aircraft during war and is now ingrained in the local aviation industry.

More generally, bowing and waving is big part of Japanese culture.

“You have a crew whose job is to push the aircraft away from the airbridge or away from the gate, wherever you happen to be,” he said, explaining who gives the wave off.

“They’ll push you back, then we set the park brake, and then once we confirm the engines are all running normal, there’s no maintenance issues after we’ve started up, we say ‘OK, you’re right to go, catch you later’ and they all go out to whatever is the closest side to the terminal and … all basically line up.”

Australian pilot Darren Howie frequently flies to Japan. Picture: Facebook

Mr Howie said no matter the weather conditions aircraft always got a wave goodbye in Japan. Picture: Darren Howie / Vortex Aviation Photography

The most memorable wave off for Mr Howie was on the first flight back to Australia after Covid.

“At that stage only three foreign airlines were flying passengers in and out of Tokyo from overseas,” he said.

“Airport was a ghost town but we had a pile of people to see us off.”

Mr Howie captured this wave off for the first flight back to Australia after Covid. Picture: Darren Howie / Vortex Aviation Photography

Photos showing the special act have also gained attention on social media, with Sydney Airport posting an image in 2017 of Japan Airlines ground crew bowing to a plane, its passengers and pilots, before takeoff in Sydney.

“This is quite an emotional shot. Never thought I’d say that about aircraft,” one person wrote.

“Amazing culture,” wrote another.

Mr Howie explained the level of respect for passengers and crew in Japan was extremely high.

While the team at home are happy to call each other by their first names, he said in Japan they are always referred to as “Captain”.

And while it happens elsewhere, he said disgruntled passengers in Japan would never consider “having a go” at a pilot “because it would be considered so highly disrespectful”.

“They have very very few issues at gates with people because everyone still has respect for people who wear the uniforms,” he said.