TOKYO, April 18 – Travellers flying from Singapore to Japan will soon enjoy smoother access to regional destinations, following a new joint venture between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
The agreement, signed yesterday, will allow both airlines to coordinate schedules, fares, and seat capacity on flights between the two countries. Ticket sales will start in May, and joint flights will launch in September.
“When you operate medium-haul flights [using] wide-body planes, it is not commercially viable for us to operate to all the smaller airports in Japan [given the thinner traffic].
“Partnering with a pre-eminent carrier like ANA makes sense, because our customers can seamlessly connect to all these destinations,” SIA chief executive Goh Choon Phong was quoted as saying by The Straits Times.
ANA serves 61 domestic airports across Japan, and under the joint venture, travellers can purchase combined SIA-ANA tickets that allow for shorter layovers and better fares via a revenue-sharing arrangement.
The partnership is being introduced as Japan experiences a tourism boom. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, 10.5 million visitors arrived between January and March 2025, a 23.1 per cent increase year-on-year, including 153,300 from Singapore.
Tourists from Singapore are increasingly exploring beyond Tokyo and Osaka, with Okinawa, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Saga, and Gifu seeing the highest growth in overnight stays in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The venture will also improve connectivity for travellers from Japan’s regional cities to Singapore and support Changi Airport’s role as a major air hub.
ANA and SIA also plan to offer joint-fare flights connecting via Singapore to destinations like Australia, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia, pending regulatory approval.
ANA chief executive Shinichi Inoue said that while ANA has limited reach in Global South markets, Singapore serves as a key transit hub to regions like Asean and India, where travel demand is projected to grow due to a rising middle class.