Alaska Airlines to fly Anchorage–Tokyo Narita from May 2027

Alaska Airlines plans to launch its first nonstop service between Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and Tokyo Narita (NRT) on 13 May 2027, according to Simple Flying. The route will be flown by a single-aisle Boeing 737 MAX 8, and is aimed at travellers linking Alaska with Japan and onward to Asia.

Schedule and timings

Simple Flying reports that flights will run daily from 13 May to 7 September 2027. Service is then due to resume in January 2028 at three flights per week, leaving a gap between the end of the summer schedule and the winter restart.

Citing AeroRoutes, the article gives the following times, all local:

• AS21: departs Anchorage at 2:10 PM and arrives at Narita at 3:25 PM the following day.
• AS22: departs Narita at 9:45 PM and reaches Anchorage at noon on the same calendar day.

The date change reflects the crossing of the International Date Line. The westbound journey is scheduled to take up to eight hours and 15 minutes.

Why the 737 MAX 8

The "one Boeing 737" in the headline refers to aircraft type rather than a single physical airframe, Simple Flying explains. Alaska Airlines has identified the MAX 8 as the only 737 variant in its fleet able to operate the route. The airports are about 2,980 nautical miles (5,519 km) apart, and Alaska lists the MAX 8 with a range of roughly 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 km).

Simple Flying's comparison table gives the MAX 9 a range of 3,300 nautical miles and the MAX 10 3,100 nautical miles. The outlet suggests the MAX 9 was probably not chosen because of operating margins, since real dispatch capability depends on winds, temperature, reserves, alternate-airport requirements and payload. That is the outlet's interpretation, not an Alaska statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued the MAX 10's amended type certificate on 20 October 2026, and Alaska expects first deliveries from the second quarter of 2027. Simple Flying says this will not make the MAX 8 redundant on Alaska's longest narrowbody routes. It also notes the route is not Alaska's longest MAX 8 service by distance, as seasonal Seattle–Reykjavík is further.

What this means for travellers

• Cabin: the aircraft is reported to have 161 seats, 16 in First Class and 145 elsewhere. This is Alaska's standard domestic-style layout rather than a dedicated international configuration. The source text available does not detail the rest of the cabin.
• Journey length: up to eight hours and 15 minutes westbound in a narrowbody is a long flight, so comfort expectations should be set accordingly.
• Seasonality: flights are daily in summer 2027 but only three weekly from January 2028, with no service reported between September and January.
• Not yet known: fares, booking dates and onward connection details were not covered in the source material.

Schedules are subject to change, so travellers should check with the airline before booking.

Sources: Simple Flying