Originally written for the Vol.4-No.5 edition (March 14, 2011) of the Toyama Hot News e-newsletter.
The Toyama-Dalian route will be extended, and starting on March 27th, there will be daily flights to Beijing. This is not only Toyama Airport’s first daily international route, but this is also the first daily Beijing route for an airport run by a local self-governing body.
China Southern Airlines began the Toyama-Dalian route in June of 1998. There are currently three Dalian flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday). Use has been stable the past year, including many customers flying for business; this led to the decision to extend daily flights to Beijing.
Instead of the current A319 (121 person capacity), the aircraft used primarily will be the larger A321 (178 person capacity). The flight will depart Toyama at 4:55pm, arriving in Dalian at 6:40pm and Beijing at 9:05pm (local times; the time difference is -1 hour). The Beijing flight departs at 10:15am, arriving in Dalian at 11:30am and Toyama at 3:55pm. Travelers to Beijing will have to go through immigration in Dalian, but they will not need to retrieve their luggage until Beijing.
The total travel time between Toyama and Beijing is about five hours, and for residents of Toyama Prefecture and its neighbors, this will be much more convenient than flying from Kansai or Haneda Airports. Of course, it will also be possible to continue using the route as a Dalian flight.
In order to help encourage the use of the Beijing route, financial assistance will be offered to groups traveling for international relations purposes, business training trips, and middle and high school trips.
Currently, along with the Dalian route, Toyama Airport has regular international flights to Seoul (three per week; Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday) and Shanghai (two per week; Tuesday and Saturday). It is thought that with the addition of the route to Beijing — the capital and economic and political center of China — that Toyama Airport will greatly increase its functionality and convenience, and become a base for international exchange in East Asia the Japan Sea Region.
Source (article and photo): Toyama Just Now
Toyama Hot News 