On January 31, Japan's largest airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), was welcomed with an inauguration ceremony for the establishment of the new intercontinental flight between Tokyo and Sweden at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. The inauguration was attended by Minister of Infrastructure Andreas Carlson, HE Mr. Hideaki Mizukoshi, Ambassador of Japan to Sweden, Swedavia CEO Jonas Abrahamsson, and Mr. Hiroyuki Miyagawa, Executive Vice President, EMEA, ANA.
–I am very pleased to welcome ANA – All Nippon Airways – to Stockholm Arlanda Airport. ANA's investment strengthens Swedish accessibility and further improves our range of destinations at the airport for those traveling on business or to visit friends and family. The relationship between Japan and Sweden has a long history and we have a mutual interest in ensuring that accessibility between the countries is as good as possible, says Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia's President and CEO.
As one of Sweden's most important markets for trade and exports, Japan is Sweden's second largest trading partner in Asia, with nearly 150 Swedish companies – both established companies and start-ups – operating in the country. Sweden is in turn the largest Nordic export market for Japan, with around 180 Japanese companies operating here.
The new direct route between Stockholm Arlanda and Tokyo Haneda will not only connect the Swedish capital with its Japanese counterpart, but ANA's extensive network of flights will also offer important connections to Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. Smooth access to these markets is of paramount importance for both business and tourism, and for those traveling to see friends and family.
“The new direct flight will bring Japan and Sweden even closer together. It will make it easier for family and friends to meet, and encourage people to explore both of our beautiful countries. The new direct flight will also deepen our dynamic bilateral relationship and promote business exchanges between our two countries,” says HE Hideaki Mizukoshi, Ambassador of Japan to Sweden.
“We are delighted to launch our first direct flight from Sweden to Japan today,” said Hiroyuki Miyagawa, Executive Vice President of ANA. As the premier network between the European region and Japan, we are strengthening Stockholm as a significant hub, improving accessibility and fostering important relationships and exchanges, not only within Sweden but also the Nordic region and by extension within our broad European network. This new route complements our existing routes from London, Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris, Munich, Vienna and Milan to Japan, and will soon be joined by flights from Istanbul in February 2025.
The new direct route with ANA (All Nippon Airways), a member of Star Alliance, will be operated three times a week. The new route will be of great importance for the tourism industry and the important trade between Japan and Sweden, where the export and import between the countries will be strengthened by shorter and faster delivery times.
About ANA (All Nippon Airways)
All Nippon Airways (ANA) was founded in 1952 with just two helicopters and has since grown to become the largest airline in Japan. ANA HOLDINGS Inc. (ANA HD) was established in 2013 as the largest airline group in Japan, consisting of 69 companies including ANA and Peach Aviation, the leading LCC in Japan.
ANA is a launch customer and the largest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, making ANA HD the largest Dreamliner owner in the world. ANA has been a member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint venture agreements with United Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines – giving the company a comprehensive global presence.
The airline's long history of excellent service has earned it a SKYTRAX 5-star rating every year since 2013, with ANA being the only Japanese airline to win this prestigious award for 11 consecutive years. ANA has been named "Airline of the Year" three times (2007, 2013 and 2018) by Air Transport World, something only a select few airlines have achieved.
