TOKYO, JAPAN — Air Japan, a subsidiary of ANA All Nippon Airways, has officially announced that it will commence flight operations in February 2024.
The Tokyo Haneda-based sister carrier has planned to initiate its services by operating Boeing 787 aircraft on routes connecting various destinations in Southeast Asia before gradually expanding its reach to other airports across the continent.
On March 9, 2023, the airline disclosed information regarding its in-flight amenities, announcing that it would be offering a comfortable and reasonably priced flying experience, leveraging ANA Holdings' expertise in both full-service and low-cost carriers. While the announcement did not include specific details about the routes, ANA Holdings' President and CEO, Koji Shibata, had previously indicated that the new airline would focus on medium-haul destinations, such as Singapore Changi and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, which are approximately six to seven hours away from Japan. Osaka-based Peach Aviation, ANA Holdings' other regional subsidiary, will operate the airline's shorter international routes, such as those to Taipei Taoyuan and Seoul Incheon.
During a recent media conference, Shibata indicated that ANA Holdings' top priority is to recover revenues lost during the pandemic. To achieve this, the company plans to delegate new and existing routes to its low-cost subsidiaries, Air Japan and Peach Aviation. For the current fiscal year, ANA Holdings anticipates that its international passenger yield will be 20% lower than pre-pandemic levels, with a gradual recovery to 5% less by the 2025 fiscal year.
While Air Japan is expected to serve a different market than ANA - All Nippon Airlines' full-service offering, it will directly compete with established mid-market carriers such as JAL - Japan Airlines' subsidiary ZIPAIR, Scoot, and VietJetAir, all of which operate widebody flights to destinations throughout Asia from their respective hubs.
All Nippon Airways has a total of 79 Dreamliners in its fleet. This includes a mix of three Boeing 787-10s, 36 Boeing 787-8s, and 40 Boeing 787-9s. In addition, there is a pending order for eight more Boeing 787-9s. The exact number of aircraft ANA Holdings plans to assign to Air Japan is currently unknown. The company plans to serve dedicated routes with a single-class aircraft that will offer approximately 330 seats.
