ORLANDO, Fla. — A warm welcome was extended to dozens of passengers arriving at Orlando International Airport on Monday, marking the first direct flight from Japan to Florida.
The ZIPAIR flight from Tokyo was greeted with a water cannon salute on the tarmac as it touched down, celebrating this exciting new connection. The historic trip is one of four round-trip flights scheduled between Orlando and Tokyo operated by ZIPAIR.
This marks the first time a commercial airline has provided a direct connection between Japan and the state of Florida
One of the pilots on the flight, Kohtake, has a personal connection to Central Florida. He graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach 20 years ago and had not been back to the state since then.
“I went to school in Florida,” Kohtake said. “It’s been 20 years since I graduated and it’s been 20 years since I’ve been in Florida.”
Passengers on the historic flight said they were pleased with the experience.
They described the trip as incredible and noted they had nothing to complain about following the long-distance journey.
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