American Airlines has welcomed the tentative approval from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to begin nonstop service between New York (JFK) and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND).

American will become the only United States carrier operating service between JFK and Tokyo, complementing the existing service operated by its joint business partner Japan Airlines.

“American looks forward to beginning nonstop service to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport from JFK,” said American’s CEO Robert Isom.

“We are grateful to the DOT and thankful to our partner Japan Airlines for supporting our application.

“Together, we are well-positioned to offer customers a comprehensive network between two of the most robust economies in the world.

“This new service will add nearly 200,000 additional round-trip seats annually between the U.S. and Japan, offering customers more ways to conduct business in the global marketplace or connect with family and friends.”

He said American plans to begin nonstop service to HND in the coming months and the new JFK-HND service will be American’s fourth daily nonstop flight to HND, joining existing daily service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and two daily flights from Los Angeles (LAX).

“American thanks the DOT for tentatively approving our application to operate the only nonstop U.S. carrier service between JFK and Haneda Airport,” said Molly Wilkinson, American’s Vice President of Regulatory and International Government Affairs.

American’s new service complements existing services between JFK and HND operated by Japan Airlines, providing customers with more options and convenient flight schedules throughout the day.