- Direct flights between Tokyo and Perth take off from Perth Airport
- All Nippon Airways' three weekly flights will bring thousands of visitors to WA
- Premier and Tourism Minister board first flight ahead of tourism and trade meetings
- Cook Government has secured 15 new and returning direct flights to WA
Western Australia has welcomed back another direct flight route as All Nippon Airways (ANA) resumes its service between Tokyo and Perth tonight.
The service is the 15th direct flight secured by the Cook Government since the pandemic, and affirms Perth's reputation as the Western Gateway to Australia.
To celebrate the return of the successful service, Premier Roger Cook and Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti will join ANA representatives on board the flight to Narita International Airport, ahead of meeting with key Japanese tourism and trade representatives to promote WA as an ideal place to visit, study, invest and work.
Japanese visitors can now travel direct to WA on board ANA's three-times weekly flights, which will bring more than 8,000 passengers to Perth over the next six months.
Today's resumption of flights between Tokyo and Perth coincides with the traditional peak demand period from Japanese visitors.
The flight will recommence as a seasonal service until late-March 2024 and resume in October 2024 with the intention of ramping up to a year-round service.
The return of ANA's service was secured by the WA Government through the Aviation Recovery Fund, and in partnership with Perth Airport.
In 2019, ANA offered daily services between Tokyo and Perth, with nearly 40,000 Japanese visitors injecting around $71 million into the WA economy.
International flights into Perth hit 95 per cent of pre-COVID levels in September, while domestic connections into WA have already exceeded pre-COVID levels.
More information on the Perth to Tokyo flights is available at www.ana.co.jp/en/au/.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
"Japan is a major tourism market and important trading partner for WA, and this direct flight with ANA will make it even easier for Japanese visitors to come and explore our beautiful State.
"Securing direct flights is a key pillar of our plan to boost tourism in Western Australia, helping to create local jobs and diversify our economy.
"I look forward to meeting with ANA representatives on board the flight, and further promoting WA over the coming days in meetings with some of our most important trade partners."
As stated by Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti:
"The resumption of the direct flight between Tokyo and Perth is a fantastic outcome for WA's tourism industry, as it will bring thousands of extra Japanese visitors to our shores each year, spending millions more in our hospitality venues and on tourism experiences.
"I'm happy to welcome ANA back to Perth for this important three-times weekly service, that directly connects WA to Japan, our eighth largest international visitor market in 2019.
"Welcoming this route back is a huge win for our State, as it further strengthens our reputation as the Western Gateway to Australia."
