Japanese delegates and airport officials toast the potential for a direct flight to Nagoya in the Aichi province. photo by Trevor Williams

A delegation of government and airport officials from Japan’s Aichi prefecture hope that the next time they come to Georgia, they’ll be able relax on a nonstop Delta Air Lines Inc. flight.

On the way to Atlanta, the delegation had connecting flights in Detroit and Minneapolis, Takaaki Kato, director of civil aviation in Aichi, told GlobalAtlanta through an interpreter after a luncheon gathering of Georgia’s Japanese business elite at Consul General Shoji Ogawa’s Buckhead residence on Oct. 31.

Mr. Kato joked that the flight schedule and flurry of engagements made him tired, but he and other government officials were optimistic that their hard work could eventually produce a more convenient mode of travel between the two regions. 

They held meetings with Delta, airport, city and state officials to promote a potential air connection between Atlanta and Nagoya, Aichi’s capital and the center of what many delegates called the “most vibrant region in Japan.”

With 341 Japanese companies employing more than 30,000 people in Georgia and Japan consistently staying near the top of Georgia’s list of trading partners, the economic incentive for the flight looks promising, Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said in his remarks at the luncheon.

“Local business owners (in the Aichi-Nagoya region) expect a direct flight because there is a big market here in Georgia,” said Mr. Kato, who added that the growing influence of Asian automotive manufacturers in Georgia has heightened the need for a nonstop flight between the regions.

Doug Blissit, Delta’s vice president for public affairs, agreed that the automotive industry is becoming an increasingly important business synergy between the two locales, and he said that Aichi’s role as a manufacturing center merits consideration by Delta, especially in light of Georgia’s trade relationship with Japan.

“First and foremost, the premium business component of the flight is what would really drive its performance,” said Mr. Blissit, who added that productive meetings with the delegation left both sides with a better sense of each other’s expectations.  “The central Japan region that Nagoya would serve is one of the strongest manufacturing regions within Japan, with a lot of the big name companies there.”

Aichi boasts a dynamic economy with an annual gross domestic product that surpassed that of Austria in 2005.  The region is home to many multinational Japanese corporations, including automakers Toyota and Mitsubishi, as well as more than 400 foreign companies, 46 percent of which are from the United States, according to statistics presented at the luncheon.

Aichi and Georgia officials stressed that the proposed flight would be a business decision on Delta’s part, and Mr. Blissit told GlobalAtlanta that Atlanta’s position as a gateway to Latin America, particularly Brazil, would play a significant, if not dominant, role in Delta’s consideration.

“If you draw a line on the globe between Sao Paulo and Japan, it would go directly across the city of Atlanta,” said Mr. Stewart, who recently returned from his first trip to Japan on a trade mission with Gov. Sonny Perdue.  Mr. Stewart’s remarks followed those of Makoto Nishimura, the vice governor of Aichi.

Mr. Kato said that many Brazilians living in Nagoya would benefit from a flight to Atlanta.  At this time the only service to Nagoya from the U.S. is on Northwest Airlines Inc. from Detroit or United Airlines Inc. from San Francisco, according to Mr. Blissit.

While talks this week focused on a passenger flight, some Japanese businesspeople in Georgia could benefit more from cargo planes going back and forth from Nagoya.

Hiroshi (Hank) Matsuda, general manager of “K” Line Logistics USA Inc., said that his company imports a variety of products, including auto parts, machinery and chemicals, into Georgia.  He said he feels confident that a passenger flight could pave the way for dedicated cargo flights.

Auto part imports in Georgia have been increasing, but a lack of production in the U.S. has slowed his company’s exports to Japan.

“Exports are shrinking because the U.S. hasn’t produced anything recently,” he told GlobalAtlanta.  “That’s our headache.  We need Made in U.S.A. products to send to our customers in Japan.”

Mr. Blissit said that although cargo is not the primary factor in selling a flight like this, it is a significant part of business, especially on long-haul planes that have larger cargo capacity.

The potential for cargo transfers is not lost on the minds Aichi’s aviation officials, who relentlessly promoted the relatively new airport, Central Japan International Airport Co. Ltd., or Centrair, which was built in 2005.  According to airport officials, about 30 percent of parts for the new Boeing Dreamliner 787 will be manufactured in Aichi and hauled out on cargo planes to the U.S.

Shigeki Ito, executive vice president and COO, said that he and the delegation toured Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport during their visit, and he liked what he saw.

With five runways, Hartsfield dwarfs Centrair, which only has one.

“As we toured the Atlanta airport my eyes were burning with envy as I compared the Atlanta airport to our airport,” Mr. Ito said through an interpreter during his remarks at the luncheon.

But he added that his small airport has been called user-friendly by a number of businesspeople. 

Judging by the presentations given by officials, Mr. Blissit said he thinks Centrair’s operational capacity would be great enough to handle a Delta flight.