Qantas begins direct flights to Osaka in Japan

From Monday, Qantas will fly direct to Osaka, Japan, three times a week.

Qantas passengers on the Super Constellation journey to Japan in the 1950s.

Qantas has pointed to strong growth in travel between Australia and Japan as it launches its fourth route between the two countries.

Yesterday Qantas started direct flights between Sydney and Osaka, as the airline heralds 70 years of flying between the two countries on Monday.

The inaugural flight between Sydney and Japan in 1947 was on a Lancastrian aircraft that flew into Hofu in the Yamaguchi Prefecture, which took 27 hours and 21 minutes.

By 1955, Qantas started flying the Lockheed Super Constellation to Japan, and by 1959 it would take the Lockheed Electra 18 hours and 51 minutes to fly between Tokyo and Sydney (two stops were needed). The Tokyo-Sydney Boeing 707-138B service began in 1961 and stopped in Hong Kong and Manila.

Yesterday’s new service, which will operate thrice-weekly, was on the Airbus A330.

Qantas International chief executive Alison Webster said the 2015 free trade agreement was likely to spur business between the two countries

While Qantas initially had announced the route as a seasonal service, it was quickly expanded to be year-round.

“Australia has seen a 23 per cent increase in the number of Japanese travellers visiting the country in the last year with many staying longer and spending more while they’re here,” Ms Webster said.

Sydney Airport boss Kerrie Mather said Osaka had been as “our largest unserved market”.

Japan is the airport’s sixth-largest origin and destination market and grew 15 per cent during the past year.

Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said that being able to fly direct to Australia from Osaka was “hugely significant”. “As we’ve seen in the past few years, improved air access has really helped turn the Japan market around,” he said.