Delta Airlines will discontinue its Seattle-Tokyo Haneda service from September 30, at the same time as American Airlines begins an Los Angeles-Tokyo Haneda route.

American Airlines applied to US regulators last year to take over Delta’s flights to the Japanese airport. Japan limits the number of foreign flights into the country, and US regulators are tasked with making sure that access is controlled.

“Delta has determined that its Seattle-Haneda service is not viable under the current regulatory and market conditions, and therefore will suspend service,” said Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter. “[Delta] remains committed to our international hub in Seattle and will continue to provide [a] Seattle-Tokyo service via our daily non-stop service to Tokyo Narita. In addition, Delta will continue to serve Tokyo Haneda from Los Angeles International Airport.”

Delta and ANA will provide stiff competition for American’s new route between LAX and Haneda.

“We’re excited to be flying from LAX to Haneda this fall, and we look forward to giving our customers better access to downtown Tokyo and further building on our presence in Asia,” said American Airlines spokesperson Casey Norton. www.delta.com, www.aa.com