United Airlines will relaunch daily nonstop service between Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) on October 24, 2026, marking the first flights on this city pair since United discontinued the route in March 2020 when it shifted Chicago–Japan focus entirely to Haneda. Flight UA867 departs Chicago at 10:40 AM and arrives in Tokyo at 3:15 PM the following day; return flight UA868 departs Narita at 6:00 PM, landing in Chicago at 2:50 PM the same day. The route covers 6,294 miles (10,127 km) and is scheduled at up to 14 hours westbound under winter conditions, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, per Simple Flying.
United will maintain its existing daily Chicago–Tokyo Haneda service alongside the new Narita flights, making Chicago the only US city with simultaneous nonstop service to both of Tokyo's major international airports. The schedule briefly yields a record seven daily Chicago–Tokyo departures in late March 2027 before settling at six daily.
United cited network connectivity as a key rationale: the Narita route provides one-stop access to 21 Asia-Pacific destinations through United's own network and joint venture partner ANA. Chicago joins five other continental US cities in having United Narita service; Washington Dulles remains the only United hub without it, per Ryoko Link. United reported carrying more than 1.8 million passengers between the continental US and Japan in 2025 — more than every other US airline combined.
Sources
Sources & references (3)
Things to do at each end of the route
Top-rated tours & experiences in Chicago and Tokyo.