On August 18, ANA and JAL announced that they would adjust their flight schedules on the Haneda–Okayama route for the Winter 2026 schedule (October 25–March 27, 2027). Based on the recommendations regarding “facilitating route coordination” published by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in May, this marks the first initiative to eliminate overlapping departure times.
Currently, ANA and JAL each operate five round trips per day (for a total of 10 round trips) on the Haneda–Okayama route. To capture more high-revenue business demand, both ANA Flight NH652 and JAL Flight JL232 departing Okayama for Haneda are scheduled to depart at 7:05 a.m., and for flights departing Okayama for Haneda, ANA’s flight departs at 10:15 a.m. while JAL’s departs at 10:20 a.m., with departures concentrated in the same time slot.
However, under the winter schedule set to begin on October 25, the company aims to improve convenience for passengers by shifting departure times by 15 to 40 minutes from the previous schedule and increasing the intervals between flights.
This initiative is based on recommendations compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s “Expert Panel on the Future of Domestic Aviation.” The report released in May stated that, while competition among airlines is the general principle, adjusting flight schedules under certain conditions to maintain the domestic aviation network—including regional routes—does not violate the Antimonopoly Act.
Both companies have committed to “building a sustainable domestic air network” and state that they will continue to hold discussions with relevant parties while considering a variety of options, including adjusting flight frequencies and coordinating routes—such as through code-sharing agreements with other airlines. For specific flight details and schedules for the Winter 2026 timetable, please check each company’s website.
© Source travel watch