All this talk of NRT vs HND is moot. As noted upthread, ASHA is starting the SEA-Asia service they can start on short notice in 2025 with the assets they have. They do not have an HND slot they’re allowed to use for SEA, and if they were allowed to use their slot for HND its time isn’t viable for mainland service anyway. That’s not to say they won’t bid the next time they have a chance (and I expect as a new entrant to mainland to Asia service, they’d have a strong case in any future rounds), but NRT and ICN are major cities with decent demand (given existing competition), decent synergies with partners for connecting flow in both places, and existing HA stations. That’s the low hanging fruit to start up quickly. That doesn’t mean it’s the extent of the mid-term (2026) strategy.