Hawaiian Airlines’ CEO Mark Dunkerley says bookings on his airline’s Japanese routes have returned to normal levels last seen before an earthquake and tsunami ravaged Japan back in March.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, American carriers saw up to a 20% dip in bookings to and from Japan. In the fallout, many airlines reduced service and scrapped plans for future expansion in the nation.

According to Hawaiian Airlines, however, the load factor on its year-old Honolulu-Tokyo Haneda route has now returned to the 80% levels it enjoyed before the catastrophe. The carrier has even increased capacity on the route by utilizing larger Airbus A330 aircraft.

The return to normalcy means that Hawaiian will continue to add service in Japan, an integral part of carrier’s future. In fact, the airline will launch new service between Honolulu and Osaka later this week.

Source: Wall Street Journal