All Nippon Airways (ANA) will commence serving a route connecting Tokyo Narita International Airport and Chennai International Airport from 27 October making it the only airline to provide direct flights from Japan to South India.

“It is always exciting to add a new destination, but it is even more significant to be the only carrier offering connecting this growing region with Japan,” said Seiichi Takahashi, senior vice president of ANA.

The new Chennai flight, by Boeing 787-8 aircraft, is part of ANA’s global strategy which prioritises world-class international passenger service.

“International passenger service is the main revenue generator for the ANA Group, and we hope to continue improving our market share in this dynamic sector as outlined in our mid-term corporate strategy for FY2018-2022. The new Chennai route will bring ANA’s world-class quality travel service to a beautiful and under-serviced region that is home to millions of potential new customers,” Takahashi added.

Chennai is going to be the 46^th city the airline will serve. This is the latest in a series of moves that increase the size of ANA’s Asia/Oceania network, including the recently announced route from Narita to Perth that begins operations from 1 September.

This will be ANA’s third route offering service to India, along with flights from Narita to Mumbai and Delhi.