ZIPAIR Lands in Silicon Valley with New Service Reconnecting Mineta San José International and Tokyo

SJC Becomes Inaugural Bay Area Gateway for Low-Cost, Transpacific Travel

San José, Calif. — Japanese carrier ZIPAIR Tokyo’s inaugural flight from Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) touched down at Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) this morning, marking the return of nonstop service between Silicon Valley and Japan and a new era of low-cost travel options between Northern California and Asia.

To mark the occasion, SJC hosted a celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony at the departure gate for ZIPAIR’s first outbound flight from San José.

“It’s an exciting day as we officially welcome ZIPAIR to the San José community,” said SJC Director of Aviation John Aitken at the ceremony. “ZIPAIR isn’t just any airline; it’s an entirely new kind of airline that leverages technology to provide an efficient, more accessible travel experience – a pretty great fit for Silicon Valley.”

“Since the introduction of ZIPAIR in 2018, we have continued to expand our network, and this service from San José will become our sixth international route, which we hope provides customers a new convenient choice when traveling to Japan, not only once a year, but on multiple occasions,” said ZIPAIR Director and Chief Marketing Officer Yasuhiro Fukada.

Also participating in the celebration were Consul General Noguchi Yasushi and Consul Masanori Kawano from the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco, former Congressman Mike Honda, San José City Councilmember David Cohen, ZIPAIR pilot Hitoshi Honda (who commanded the inaugural flight from SJC), Bay Area tourism officials and leaders from San José’s Japanese American community. The event was punctuated with performances by San José Taiko.

In addition to being part of the celebration, passengers aboard ZIPAIR’s first flights into and out of San José were presented with special gifts to commemorate the occasion.

ZIPAIR, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan Airlines (JAL), offers passengers a fully customizable travel experience. The airline operates a modern fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft, with 18 full-flat seats and 272 standard seats. All passengers enjoy complimentary inflight Wi-Fi, as well as inflight food, beverages and shopping available for purchase through a unique, contactless mobile ordering system.

San José is ZIPAIR’s third U.S. destination after Honolulu and Los Angeles, and its first in the Bay Area. As the first and only transpacific carrier offering low-cost service between the Bay Area and Asia, ZIPAIR expects to serve customers from across Northern California through its new San José gateway.

ZIPAIR’s new nonstop flights between San José and Tokyo will operate three times per week during the holiday season before increasing to five flights per week on Jan. 11, 2023. ZIPAIR intends to offer daily service on the route later in 2023.

Additional photos and b-roll from the inaugural flight and celebration are available upon request.