Paul Lewis/Tokyo
NORTHWEST AIRLINES is working to strengthen its Japanese-based hub operation through new co-operation agreements with Asian carriers, as local criticism intensifies of US airline industry fifth-freedom rights in the region.
The airline is looking to develop a strategic relationship with at least one Asian carrier, to complement its alliance with Netherlands flag carrier KLM. Northwest is understood to be in negotiation with at least five of China's principal state-run airlines, including Air China, China Southern and China Eastern Airlines.
"There are three important sources of traffic in the world - North America, Western Europe and East Asia," says Northwest executive vice-president Michael Levine. "Obviously, it would be helpful to have an intensive relationship in East Asia."
Northwest, in addition to courting potential Chinese partners, has opened discussions on co-operation with Japan Air System (JAS).
Northwest is hoping to connect JAS' domestic network with its own international hub at Tokyo's Narita Airport, particularly those routes which the US airline has recently abandoned, such as to Okinawa.
It has reached similar interline agreements with Asiana of South Korea and Air New Zealand, after eliminating nine "non-core flights" from Seoul and Sydney. Northwest has instead concentrated mainly on adding new services from Japan and China to North America.
Northwest's consolidation in Northeast Asia comes at a time of increasing criticism of US airlines' fifth-freedom or beyond traffic-rights, particularly by Japan's financially hard-pressed international carriers.
According to Japan Airlines (JAL) vice-president Koki Nagata, US carriers, principally Northwest and United Airlines, now enjoy 156 fifth-freedom services from Japan, compared to JAL's two in the USA.
He adds that US carriers use 30% of Narita's slots and carry 70% of US-Japan passenger traffic, of which only one in six is a US traveler.
Nagata describes the existing fifth-freedom rights as "outdated", and calls for the original 1952 bilateral air-services agreement between Japan and the USA to be scrapped and new negotiated arrangements put in its place.
Japan, in the meantime, wants to put a halt on any new air services by US carriers and place a 50% cap on the number of passengers picked up at Narita for beyond flights.
Levine, however, refuses to respond directly to JAL's criticism, arguing that "it is not Northwest's job to have an aviation policy", and neither is it going to try to "...single-handedly reconstruct the relationship between the USA and Japan".
Source: Flight International
