Arkia announced on Monday that flights to Tokyo, Japan’s capital, which were scheduled to launch at the end of October, will not take place. The cancellation comes after Japanese authorities declined to approve operating the route using a wet-leased aircraft at this stage. The airline emphasized that efforts to obtain the necessary permits to launch the route are ongoing, but it cannot commit to a date when direct flights will begin.
The update affects passengers who booked flights for October 25 and 28, as well as November 1 and 5. "Passengers who booked flights for later dates are not required to make changes to their reservation at this time," the company said in a statement.
El Al remains the only airline operating flights to the popular destination, after Arkia’s parallel route had been expected to lower prices through competition.
This is not the first time Arkia has announced a new route only to backtrack shortly thereafter. The airline recently canceled its route to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam, after announcing last May that it would open an additional destination in the country following its successful Hanoi route.
The company also recently announced that it would open a route to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, starting in January 2027.
Three options for passengers
Arkia is offering passengers affected by the update three alternatives:
1. Flying to Tokyo via Bangkok or Hanoi using Arkia flights to those destinations and a connecting flight to Tokyo, with route coordination and travel responsibility handled by the airline.
2. Changing the destination to any of Arkia's other destinations, with a 10% discount off the ticket price for the new destination.
3. Canceling the reservation and receiving a full refund.
Arkia explained that it has been working for many months with Japanese authorities to secure the required approvals. At the same time, it continues to advance the option of operating the route using its own aircraft and hopes to receive the approvals in the coming weeks. The airline further emphasized that it is not giving up on direct flights to Tokyo and that if permits are received in the coming days, the relevant passengers will be notified immediately.
Passengers who booked their flight directly through Arkia can direct inquiries regarding flights to Japan to a dedicated email address created for the matter: Flytokyo@arkia.co.il.