JTB to Operate First “Third-Country Charter Flight” – Okayama/Palau by Continental Airlines
JTB Chugoku Shikoku and R & C Tours, JTB Group companies, decided to operate a roundtrip charter flight from Okayama to Palau (Koror), departing on September 19 and returning on 23. The chartered airline is Continental Airlines (CO). Up until now, it was in fact complicated to organize a charter flight with an airline other than those serving between Japan and the airline’s country of origin; however, following the deregulation of the ITC charter rules last December, a charter flight operation by a third-country airline became simplified (so-called third-country charter). According to the International Air Transport Division of CAB, MLIT, it was the very first charter application for the third country. The application was duly approved as of June 30.
Capitalizing on the deregulated charter rules, it is expected that charter flights will be stimulated especially from the regional airports where scheduled services are decreasing. Although this is the first third- country charter in the Japan market, the International Air Transport Division has already received some six inquiries for third-country charter flights. It believes that the charter applications will be filed with CAB in the meantime, thus anticipating further positive effect brought by the deregulated charter rules.
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