ANA Cargo, Kalitta launch NRT–ORD cargo service from July 29

Japanese cargo carrier ANA Cargo has announced it will begin offering cargo capacity on Kalitta Air's Narita (NRT)–Chicago (ORD) route.

These flights are also planned to be operated under a codeshare agreement, providing more flexible and convenient cargo transportation services.

The start of the operation is from July 29, 2025. From July through August, flights from Chicago to Narita (K4 528/NH 6928) will operate on August 3, 17, 24, and 31, departing at 08:45 and arriving the next day at 12:00. Return flights from Narita to Chicago (K4 529/NH 6929) are scheduled for July 29 and August 4, 18, 23, and 25, departing at 15:00 and arriving at 16:00 local time.

From September onward, the ORD–NRT flight will operate every Sunday (D7), and the NRT–ORD leg will run on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (D1, 4, 6), using Kalitta’s B747-400F aircraft.

The departure and arrival times will remain the same, 08:45 departure from Chicago and 12:00+1 arrival in Narita, while the return leg departs Narita at 15:00 and arrives in Chicago at 16:00.

Flights from Narita will include a technical stop in Anchorage (ANC) for refueling. All services are currently marketed under Kalitta's flight numbers, with ANA's codeshare (NH 6928/6929) to be implemented upon final approvals.

Notably, this is not the first codeshare agreement between a Japanese carrier and Kalitta Air. Earlier this year, in March, Japan Airlines (JAL) and Kalitta Air announced a partnership for regular cargo flights on the Narita–Chicago route, with operations scheduled to begin on May 10, 2025. At the time, JAL stated that Kalitta would deploy its Boeing 777-300ERSF (Big Twin) on the route. However, as of July, the service is still being operated by Kalitta’s Boeing 747-400 freighters, which were originally planned for a limited period from April 4 to 26.

The primary reason for the continued use of 747-400 freighters is the delay in the Boeing 777-300ERSF programme receiving its Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), which has postponed its entry into service with operators. Notably, IAI’s 777-300ERSF programme, branded as ‘The Big Twin,’ was launched in 2019 in partnership with AerCap, with Kalitta Air as the launch customer.

In March 2025, an IAI spokesperson told The STAT Trade Times that the company had completed its certification programme, including joint work with the FAA team. “We are expecting to receive the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from both the Israel Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) and the FAA at the beginning of May 2025,” the spokesperson said.

Sharing data in a recent LinkedIn post, Frederic Horst, Founder and CEO of Trade Data Service, noted that unlike parts of Southeast Asia, Japan has not benefitted from the sharp decline in air trade between China and the U.S., particularly observed in May and June. Japanese air cargo exports in June were only moderately higher than the same period last year. For the first half of 2025, export volumes rose by 3.6%, while imports increased by around 3%.