Denver International Airport (DIA) and United Airlines celebrated the one year anniversary of the inaugural flight between the airline’s hub in Denver to Tokyo-Narita International Airport. The daily flight marked the Mile High City’s first nonstop connection to Asia last year.
Arriving and departing passengers on the flights received a traditional coin of good fortune. A banner was hung at gate B32 by the airport congratulating United on its successful service.
"Cities today succeed when they are connected and competitive in the global marketplace. Since United began service last June, overall passenger traffic between Denver and Tokyo has grown by about 40 percent,” Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “This nonstop service opened a gateway to Tokyo and all of Asia, including other markets such as Singapore, Bangkok and Manila. We are thrilled to see the success of this daily nonstop service, which is helping us to sharpen Denver’s international edge by generating an estimated $130 million in annual economic impact to the state’s economy, creating nearly 1,500 jobs, increasing foreign investment and trade, and providing new avenues for tourism in the U.S. and Asia.”
United’s Managing Director of the Denver hub Steve Jaquith added, “We’re excited to celebrate a year of flying to Tokyo. We hear great feedback from our customers and businesses in the Denver community who appreciate a direct flight to Asia on our 787 aircraft. We are thankful to Mayor Hancock and his aviation team led by Kim Day who continue to support United’s work in Denver.”
One of the businesses positively affected by the nonstop service is Terumo BCT. “As someone who travels from our global headquarters here in Colorado to our offices around the world with some frequency I look for the fastest and most efficient way to get where I’m going,” said President and Chief Executive Officer at Terumo BCT David Perez. “The direct flight to Tokyo is fast and efficient and has created more opportunities for our associates to connect with one another. It’s been great. Congratulations to DIA and United on the success of this service. We appreciate the daily flight and look forward to United expanding its service to include more international destinations.”
Flight 139 departs Denver daily at 12:35 p.m. and arrives at Tokyo-Narita International Airport at 3:30 p.m. the next day. For the return, Flight 138 departs Tokyo at 5:25 p.m. and arrives in Denver at 1:15 p.m. the same day. (All times are local). United’s service is offered on the Boeing 787 configured with 36 seats in United Business First, 70 seats in United Economy Plus and 113 seats in United Economy.
"In the first year, approximately 130,000 passengers have traveled between Denver and Tokyo on nearly 720 flights,” said Kim Day, Chief Executive Officer of Denver International Airport. “We thank United Airlines for its partnership in strengthening Denver’s global connectivity to Asia, and I look forward to future growth with United to additional markets such as Panama in December.”
DIA provides access to more than 180 destinations worldwide, including 24 nonstop international destinations in 10 countries.
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