There Is An Easing Of Travel Rules, Etihad Opens Flights To Osaka Starting October

Illustration of the airline fleet Etihad. (Wikimedia Commons/Sergey Kustov)

JAKARTA - Airline Etihad Airways will launch flights to Osaka, a connecting city in the Kansai region, Japan starting next October, as part of its network expansion.

This will be the second destination for the United Arab Emirates national airline in Japan, having previously flown to Tokyo which has been going on for 13 years.

"We are excited to be able to introduce flights to Osaka for the first time," said Antonoaldo Neves, chief executive of Etihad Airways, as reported by The National News May 16.

"As one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, I'm sure visitors will enjoy exploring the cultural heritage and tasting the famous Osaka hospitality. This new route also opens Abu Dhabi to visitors from Osaka, and we look forward to welcoming guests to our vibrant home, and providing them with access to our growing global network," he explained.

Starting October 1, Etihad will run five weekly flights from Abu Dhabi to Osaka using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The flight to the port city, dubbed Nation's Kitchen, due to its culinary delights, will last for approximately nine hours.

Osaka is famous for her world-class culinary delights, offering a wide variety of choices ranging from Michelin-star restaurants to stunning street snacks.

The city also has an eclectic cultural scene, with a busy nightlife, streets filled with neon lights, art galleries and museums all of which have stunning architectural backgrounds.

Japan recently relaxed travel regulations for visitors from the UAE, which no longer need to visit Japanese embassies to apply for visas.

UAE residents who wish to explore Osaka, or other interesting places in Japan, can now apply for online short-term tourist visas that allow up to 90 days of stay.

No screenshots or physical visas are required. Instead, tourists will use the Japanese eVisa website upon arrival in the country, to show immigration-approved documents.

This rule follows previous policies, visa-free regulations for Emirati tourists that have been in effect since November.