The inaugural All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight to Hawaii following a loosening of restrictions on travellers from Japan departed from Haneda Airport on Friday evening.

The US state has been gradually relaxing its 14-day quarantine requirement for visitors and as of Friday, visitors from Japan who have certifiably tested negative for the novel coronavirus though a medical institution have been allowed an exemption from the state’s mandatory quarantine.

For this reason, airlines are hoping to make a recovery in the number of passengers on the highly profitable route.

Check-in procedures for the first flight to Honolulu after the state’s measure began at Haneda Airport just after 8pm on Friday. There were 64 passengers on board, according to the airline.

A 28-year-old temp worker who was one of the passengers said: “I’m going to Hawaii to see my fiance. I’m grateful that I won’t have to spend time any of my time in quarantine because I can only stay there for about a month.”

ANA once had seven round-trip flights on the Haneda-Honolulu route a week, but now there are only two round-trips a month – the same number offered by Japan Airlines.

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK