Japan’s 'flight to nowhere' lets you see bird’s-eye view of Mt. Fuji

With the pandemic affecting the travel industry, airline companies worldwide have come up with “flights to nowhere” to sustain their businesses. While Singapore Airlines has ultimately dropped the plan and will instead, be opening up the cabins of Airbus A380 for dining, Japan’s Fuji Dream Airlines will still be taking their passengers into the skies and offering them an opportunity to “take a tour” around Mt. Fuji.

Due to the pandemic, Mt. Fuji has been closed all summer and will remain closed for the winter season. In other words, mountain climbers will not be able to scale the summit until next April. This is where Fuji Dream Airlines comes in. The Japan regional airline company has come up with a 90-minute flight promotion that lets you see Mt. Fuji from above the clouds.

The sightseeing flights will take off from Komaki Airport in Nagoya. Its inaugural flight began on 20 September and was so popular that it sold out. Additional flights for the next few days, including the upcoming ones on 3 and 4 October, were subsequently added. But they were also sold out in a day.

Apart from seeing Mt. Fuji in all its glory, passengers can also add on a special tour at the end of their flights. The tour, led by the pilots, cabin attendants and mechanics, will bring the passengers to areas usually off-limits to the general public, such as the hangar and cockpit. All passengers will also get to take a commemorative photo with the staff and the airplane. The flight package also comes with a certificate of flight; a Fuji Dream Airlines stuffed airplane; and an admission ticket to the nearby Aichi Museum of Flight.

To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the airline will enforce seating arrangements with safe distancing. As Fuji Dream Airlines’ airplanes have two seats on either side of the centre aisle, solo passengers will take up two seats, while three passengers in a unit will take up four seats. Hence, the cost to see Mt. Fuji from the sky can range from as little as 14,000 yen (about S$180) per person to as much as 31,000 yen (about S$400) per person, depending on the number of people you are travelling with as a unit. With the special tour added, the cost can go up to between 18,500 yen and 35,500 yen per person.

Although the summer heat has melted the alluring snowcap of Mt. Fuji, it was reported that snow has started sprinkling on Mt. Fuji, which is one month earlier than in 2019. Mt. Fuji should look a lot more like the iconic Mt. Fuji that we know of in the coming weeks. The photos and videos of Mt. Fuji with views onboard the Fuji Dream Airlines would be so beautiful, don’t you think?

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