Japan Airlines celebrates 50 years of Manila-Tokyo line

50 years ago, only 20,000 people traveled between Japan and the Philippines. Now, an estimated 900,000 people traveled between the two countries in 2017.

Japan Airlines (JAL) saw this growth in the number of visitors between Japan and the Philippines and played an instrumental role in the upswing. 50 years ago, JAL first opened its Manila-Tokyo route, helping bring the two countries closer and more accessible to each other. The opening of the Manila-Tokyo route along with the relaxation of Japanese visa requirements in 2014 placed Filipinos in the top 10 visitors of Japan.

Cheers to 50 years of JAL’s Manila-Tokyo route!

To celebrate this milestone, JAL held an intimate celebration ceremony with JAL officials, distinguished guests, and JAL passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1. The ceremony was graced by JAL Executive Vice President Tadashi Fujita, Japanese Embassy Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Takehiro Kano, and Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Eddie V. Monreal.

(L-R) Captain Shinichiro Kikushima, Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Eddie V. Monreal, JAL Executive Vice President Tadashi Fujita, and Japanese Embassy Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Takehiro Kano

Gifts were shared with the guests.

“50 years ago, JAL decided to open Japan-Manila route. The wish and passion have been taken over from generation to generation,” Tadashi Fujita said in his speech, commemorating the harmonious ties between Japan and the Philippines and sharing the vision of JAL to continue delivering products and services with excellence.

JAL Executive Vice President Tadashi Fujita shares JAL’s philosophy.

JAL is patronized by many tourists traveling between Japan and the Philippines because of the comfort and warm hospitality they provide, which can truly be identified as Japanese. The first Japanese airlines to expand its operations overseas, JAL flies around the world—56 countries including the Philippines—as “the wings of Japan” that bring happiness and Japanese values known to people across the globe.

Also read: Business Talk with Japan Airlines’ Kazuhiro Ishida