Of Shanghai’s two major airports, Pudong and Hongqiao, Hongqiao is the older and smaller of the pair and thus is primarily used for domestic services. However, a few international destinations are served from here, most notably Tokyo-Haneda, itself used almost entirely for domestic services from the late 1970s to 2014. All Nippon Airways, one of Japan’s two flag carriers, serves this airport with Boeing widebody aircraft, initially with the 767 and 777, and currently with the 787 Dreamliner.
Server: Solo
Airline: All Nippon Airways
Aircraft: Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner
Origin: Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan (HND)
Destination: Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai, China (SHA)
Flight Number: NH969
Route: RJTT-ZSSS
Seat: 15K (Premium Economy)
Time En Route: 3 Hours 7 Minutes
Boarding for our flight. ANA currently operates 7 of the longest variant of the Dreamliner family, with a further 10 on order. Most are configured with 294 seats for international operations, but a few have a staggering 429 for domestic flights.
Taxiing out past Terminal 3
Departure out of HND for the second-largest airport in Shanghai
Turning over Tokyo Bay
Passing Mount Fuji as we head down Honshu
Osaka off of our left wing
Descending over the mouth of the Yangtze River
Landing at Hongqiao
Deplaned at Terminal 1 at SHA