Earlier today, Routesonline reported some changes to Ethiopian Airlines’ Asian route network that will take effect in June 2018. One of those is also the switch of the stop on the Addis Ababa to Tokyo Narita route from Hong Kong to Seoul Incheon and increase of frequency to four weekly flights.
Thanks to Airliners.sk for providing the above photo.
Until June 1, 2018: Addis Ababa – Hong Kong – Tokyo Narita
Currently, as mentioned above, the route from Addis Ababa to Tokyo Narita is operated through Hong Kong. The flights are operated three times a week using Boeing 787-8 aircraft with the following schedule:
Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
- ET672 from Addis Ababa to Tokyo Narita via Hong Kong: depart at 10:25PM, arrive at 7:20PM the next day
Wednesday, Friday & Sunday
- ET673 from Tokyo Narita to Addis Ababa via Hong Kong: depart at 8:10PM, arrive at 7:00AM the next day
Besides offering flights from Addis Ababa to Hong Kong and Tokyo Narita, Ethiopian Airlines also allows bookings on the fifth freedom Hong Kong – Tokyo Narita – Hong Kong part of the route. The schedule of that part of the route is as follows:
Wednesday, Friday & Sunday
- ET672 from Hong Kong to Tokyo Narita: depart at 2:15PM, arrive at 7:20PM
- ET673 from Tokyo Narita to Hong Kong: depart at 8:10PM, arrive at 0:40AM the next day
The roundtrip fares on the fifth freedom route start at a bit over 30,000 yen or 275 dollars – and are a decent option for people looking to travel between the two Asian cities.
From June 2, 2018: Addis Ababa – Seoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita
From June 2, 2018, the Tokyo route will be rerouted via Seoul Incheon. And, the frequency will be increased to four roundtrips a week with the following schedule:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
- ET672 from Addis Ababa to Tokyo Narita via Seoul Incheon: depart at 10:40PM, arrive at 8:00PM the next day
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday
- ET673 from Tokyo Narita to Addis Ababa via Seoul Incheon: depart at 9:10PM, arrive at 5:20AM the next day
Ethiopian Airlines Tokyo Route Changes Summary
For passengers traveling between Addis Ababa and Tokyo Narita, the changes should be welcome. The frequency is being increased to four times a week instead of three, and the Tokyo to Addis Ababa flight is becoming significantly shorter.
The changes are unfortunate for those using the airline between Tokyo and Hong Kong, though. And, not only is that fifth freedom route disappearing, but currently, Ethiopian Airlines is not selling tickets between Tokyo and Seoul either.
It remains to be seen whether the airline will apply for fifth freedom rights to operate between Japan and Korea. I certainly hope so!
