Originally Posted by
CPH-Flyer
Moscow could be an option, but as these assignments are part of a bilateral agreement, and daytime slots are paired to either side of the agreements, there could be quite a lot of noise if Japan suddenly pulls a pair from one country and assigns to another. I am sure Qatar both as the airline and the country would not be part of the noise, but other countries and airlines trying to get access to Haneda might.
The agreement with Russia wouldn't require Japan to limit certain slots to Russia service. From Russia's perspective, it just guarantees Russian airlines access to a certain number of slots, and keeps Japan from allocating a higher number to its own carriers. Japan is free to under-allocate to its own carriers as long as it doesn't go over the slot limits under the agreement with the other country (for example, they couldn't let JAL start another US flight since the agreed numbers of slots under the US agreement are already in use).