Scheduled for next March, the new flight will replace Qantas’ existing Melbourne to Narita Airport route which is located 51km closer to Tokyo city centre.

The airline stated, “The flights [from Melbourne to Tokyo Haneda] are expected to save travellers more than an hour commuting into the city.

“We’re also making improvements for customers flying from Haneda Airport and eligible customers are now able to access the priority lane at the airport’s security checkpoint,” the airline said in a statement. Passengers who qualify for lounge access will also able to use Japan Airline’s Sakura Lounge however, the lounge can become crowded during peak travel times.

Passengers who have booked flights to Narita Airport for after March 29, when the new flights are expected to commence, will automatically be transferred to a Haneda flight or can make alternative plans, the Australian national carrier added. Narita Airport is located 70km east of Tokyo city centre while Haneda is only 19km south of the Japanese capital.

It comes as Qantas launched its ski season flights from Sydney to Sapporo, Japan last week. The airline announced it will run for at least two ski seasons, 2020 and 2021, from December to end-February. The three-times-a-week service flies to Hokkaido island in the north of the country where Japan has some of its best skiing areas.