Virgin Australia eyes ANA partnership, Haneda slot

Virgin Australia wants to establish itself in the Australia-Japan market by launching its own service and forming a new strategic partnership with ANA. Virgin announced it is applying for a coveted slot at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, which it wants to use for a daily flight from Brisbane. While the airline has previously signalled it would seek a Haneda slot, it had not specified the route. Virgin also revealed its intention to form a reciprocal codeshare with ANA on the Japanese airline’s existing and proposed Australian services. ANA already operates flights from Haneda to Sydney, and from Tokyo Narita Airport to Perth. It has been awarded another Haneda slot for the Australian market, although it has yet to reveal the specific route. <br/>