Alaska Airlines to launch daily Anchorage-Tokyo nonstop flights in 2027
Alaska Airlines will begin daily nonstop service between Anchorage and Tokyo Narita in May 2027, using a Boeing 737 MAX 8 to restore a direct link absent for nearly three decades.
Alaska Airlines will begin daily nonstop flights between Anchorage and Tokyo Narita starting May 13, 2027. The seasonal service is scheduled to operate through September 7, 2027 using a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
This establishes the first direct passenger air link between Alaska and Japan. It fills a decades-long gap in transpacific connectivity. The route will be the most convenient way to travel between the two regions, eliminating connections through hubs like Seattle or Vancouver. The proposed service is still subject to government approval.
Flight schedule and timing
The route will feature two daily flights with specific departure and arrival times. The westbound flight is blocked at eight hours and fifteen minutes. The eastbound flight is scheduled for seven hours and fifteen minutes.
| Flight Number | Departure Airport & Time | Arrival Airport & Time | Block Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| AS21 | Anchorage (ANC) at 2:10PM | Tokyo Narita (NRT) at 3:25PM (+1 day) | 8 hours 15 minutes |
| AS22 | Tokyo Narita (NRT) at 9:45PM | Anchorage (ANC) at 12:00PM | 7 hours 15 minutes |
The inaugural service is set for May 13, 2027, with flight AS21 departing Anchorage that afternoon. The return flight, AS22, would depart Narita on May 14.
Aircraft and capacity details
The service will operate on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 configured with 161 seats. This narrow-body aircraft will provide the capacity for the route.
| Cabin Class | Number of Seats |
|---|---|
| First Class | 16 |
| Main Cabin (Economy) | 145 |
| Total | 161 |
Fares for the route start at $605. The 737 MAX 8 has a maximum advertised range of 3,500 nautical miles. The Anchorage to Tokyo Narita route is about 3,426 miles.
Route significance and challenges
This will be Alaska's second-longest Boeing 737 MAX route ever. Only its Seattle to Keflavik route, at 3,622 miles, is longer. The Anchorage-Tokyo service would restore a nonstop connection after nearly three decades. Northwest Airlines last served the market nonstop in 1999.
Alaska has never operated a nonstop passenger flight between Anchorage and Japan, though it did fly to Eastern Russia from 1991 to 1998. Other carriers have previously connected Anchorage to Asia. China Airlines offered a scheduled flight to Taipei until 2011. Yakutia Airlines operated a weekly service to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky until 2019.
New Pacific Airlines, formerly known as Northern Pacific, once planned to use Anchorage as a transpacific hub but went out of business. United Airlines currently operates the 737 MAX 8 on transpacific routes, including from Guam to Tokyo, Manila, and Taipei.
Questions remain about the aircraft's operational range on this specific route. Potential airspace restrictions and deviations could increase the actual distance flown to more than 3,750 miles. Demand needed to sustain the daily seasonal service is another uncertainty. The seasonal service is scheduled to run through September 7, 2027.
