Asiana begins flights to Japan's 'Paradise of Flowers'

MANILA, Philippines - Asiana Airlines (OZ), Korea’s multi-awarded carrier, has announced that it has begun services to Ibaraki, Japan.

Asiana Airlines recently held its inaugural flight from its hub at the Incheon International Airport to the newly opened Ibaraki Airport, making it the first international airline to service the route.

Asiana Airlines president and CEO Young-Doo Yoon, Seoul Regional Aviation Administration Commissioner Young-Chang Ryu, Incheon International Airport vice president Young-Keun Lee and other airline industry officials attended the event.

Ibaraki is highly regarded as the paradise of flowers in Japan, being home to some of the most famous gardens such as the Kairakuen and Fukuroda Falls. 

Ibaraki also has many springs, golf courses and shopping outlets. It is a renowned tourist spot for travelers from Tokyo.

The new Ibaraki Airport is an hour and 30 minutes’ drive from central Tokyo, about the same distance from Tokyo to the Narita International Airport. 

With Ibaraki Airport’s smaller size, however, time from check-in counters to departure gates is comparatively less. Travelers using the Ibaraki Airport are expected to save about 30 minutes to an hour on their trip.

Asiana Airlines will operate daily flights to the new route with an Airbus A320 seating 141 passengers.

With the inauguration of the Ibaraki route, Asiana will operate to 17 cities, 24 routes and 176 weekly flights from Korea to Japan, making it the largest foreign airline to operate in the country.

In the Philippines, Asiana flies out from Manila, Cebu and the Clark International Airport to Incheon and many international destinations across Asia, Europe and America.