American Airlines Announces Nonstop Chicago–Tokyo Flights on Boeing 787-9 from March 2027
CHICAGO, July 1, 2026 — American Airlines is set to launch a daily nonstop service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) starting March 27, 2027. This new transpacific route signifies the airline’s return to Asia from Chicago, a connection that was previously suspended in early 2020. It will also become the airline’s 11th long-haul destination from O’Hare.
The year-round route will be operated using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring:
- 30 Flagship Business Suite seats
- 21 Premium Economy seats
- 254 Economy seats
Flights will depart Chicago at 12:45 PM, arriving in Tokyo the following day at 3:30 PM local time (flight number AA153). Thanks to American’s Pacific Joint Business Agreement with Japan Airlines, passengers can connect onward to Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei, and Ho Chi Minh City on a single itinerary.
At the announcement, held at Terminal 3’s iconic Hall of Flags at O’Hare, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed his excitement. Chicago city officials also welcomed the news, citing the economic and tourism benefits of restoring a direct air link between the U.S. Midwest and Japan. Additionally, the airline is launching two new domestic routes from Chicago this winter to Charlottesville, Virginia (November) and Ontario, California (December).
The new Tokyo route is seen as a competitive response to rival United Airlines, which has been expanding its own O’Hare hub to over 750 daily departures in 2026.
Source: American Airlines Newsroom – Chicago to Tokyo Nonstop Service