Celebrating a Decade Down Under: ANA's Sydney-Tokyo Service Soars The SYD Team Reflects on 10 Years of Connecting Continents and Looks to the Future.

On December 12, 2025, ANA celebrated the 10th anniversary of service between Sydney and Tokyo. To commemorate this milestone, special events were held at Sydney Airport, including a reception for the stakeholders who have supported ANA's journey and a celebration to express gratitude to our passengers.

The history of the ANA SYD team dates back to the inauguration of the Narita–Sydney route in 1987. Although the service was once suspended, it was relaunched in 2015 after a 16-year hiatus. Today, the route has grown to a double-daily service (two flights per day).

At Sydney Airport, a special 10th anniversary booth was set up, where commemorative gifts were presented to passengers after check-in. At the boarding gates for NH890 and NH880 bound for Haneda, Naoaki Takayanagi, Senior Vice President of ANA Asia & Oceania, and Maki Matsuzaki, General Manager of ANA Sydney and local staff personally handed out mementos to each passenger, expressing their sincere appreciation for their continued loyalty.

Following the departure of flight NH890, a commemorative reception was held with the support of Sydney Airport. The event welcomed over 100 guests, including approximately 70 partners and stakeholders from both Japan and Australia, as well as current staff and former expatriates who have served in Sydney.

During the reception, the team was honored to receive warm congratulatory messages from the Consul-General of Japan in Sydney and executives from Sydney Airport. A special video, created by the ANA SYD team, was then screened to look back on their 10-year journey. It was a truly precious opportunity to share their heartfelt gratitude with everyone who has been a part of ANA's history.

The "ANA Team HANEDA Orchestra" ( known as HANE-OKE) also flew in from Japan to join the event. Seven members from diverse departments, including active pilots, cabin crew, ground staff, and headquarters personnel, performed ANA's signature theme, "Another Sky," along with several beloved Australian classics.

The audience was deeply impressed, not only by the fact that the performers were actual ANA employees but also by the sheer quality of their music. It was a truly moving moment where music transcended boundaries, uniting the hearts of everyone from Japan and Australia.

We sat down with the staff at the Sydney Branch to hear their thoughts.

Q. As you mark the 10th anniversary of ANA's return to Sydney, could you tell us about the journey and history leading up to this milestone?

Kashiwagi: The Sydney Branch began its journey with a single daily flight. Just as we were steadily working toward our goal of expanding to twice-daily service, we were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. With border closures, quarantine regulations, and state-wide lockdowns, many airlines were forced to cancel or suspend their flights, and people vanished from both the airport and the city streets.

During those uncertain days with no clear end in sight, the fact that the Sydney–Haneda route continued to operate became a great source of hope for us. Later, as travel restrictions were eased, the demand for international travel surged, and by late 2022, we finally achieved our long-awaited goal of operating two flights per day.

Today, we continue our double-daily operations. Over the past decade, while there have been changes among both our expatriates and local staff, we have constantly evolved and strived to provide even better service to our customers. All of us as one team will continue to move forward together with unwavering dedication.

Q. How would you describe the ANA SYD team in one word?

Ishii: I would describe us as a "vibrant, youthful, and diverse team." We are an energetic team, primarily composed of young professionals with diverse cultural backgrounds and rich professional experiences. Our strength lies in the multifaceted perspectives that arise from this diversity. This allows us to maintain an open mindset toward change and innovation, approaching every challenge with flexibility.

Q. Is there a particularly memorable episode that stands out to you?

Matsuzaki: Without a doubt, it is this 10th-anniversary celebration. Over the years, we have navigated numerous events and countless irregular operations, overcoming each challenge through the sheer passion and hard work of our Sydney team. However, this particular project was on a much larger scale and far more complex than anything we had done before, making the workload twice as intense.

In particular, coordinating the visit of the "HANE-OKE" required us to clear hurdles one by one, from the fundamental question of whether they could actually come to Sydney to determining the number of members, sourcing audio equipment, and ensuring the sound levels were appropriate for the venue. Our planning and preparation began a full year in advance. Beyond the main reception, we also organized sales events and smaller anniversary celebrations at the check-in counters.

The reason we were able to solve these non-manual tasks one by one without relying on an event agency was that every member understood their role and took proactive initiative. This event was truly a wonderful experience that allowed me to feel the underlying strength and potential of our team.

Q. What is the greatest appeal of the Sydney (SYD) route?

Fletcher: Visitors to Sydney are attracted by a range of iconic landmarks, stunning harbour and coastal beaches, vibrant neighbourhoods and unique cultural and wildlife experiences.

No visit is complete without must-see spots including the Sydney Opera House, historic The Rocks precinct, the Royal Botanic Gardens, walking the stunning Bondi to Coogee Beach Coastal track, and climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Sydney's diverse cultural events calendar spans all four seasons, including the Sydney Festival, Sculptures by the Sea, VIVID Sydney, Opera on the Harbour and the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.

All this and we have not even begun to talk about Sydney being one of the world's great food cities!

Looking ahead

Matsuzaki: Celebrating the 10th anniversary of our Sydney route’s resumption has been a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the warm bond between our customers and ANA. While it goes without saying that we have been supported by so many people, I have come to realize that it is often our customers, the very people we are here to serve, who actually provide us with the greatest support. Moving forward, our team will work as one, never forgetting this sense of gratitude, to become a presence that truly supports each and every one of you.

Team Sydney will continue to serve as a bridge between Australia and Japan, delivering the moving experience of air travel to even more customers!