Japan's low-cost carrier Peach Aviation started operations on 1 March, with the launch of two commercial domestic services.
The first flight, MM101, departed from Osaka's Kansai International Airport at 07:17 local, landing at New Chitose Airport near Sapporo at 09:09. There were 162 passengers on board, a spokesman said.
The carrier launched its second flight, on the Osaka-Fukuoka route, about 20 minutes later carrying 168 passengers.
Peach Aviation will operate three daily round trip flights on the Osaka-Sapporo route and four daily round trip flights on the Osaka-Fukuoka route.
Two new routes will begin in April - a twice-daily Osaka-Kagoshima service on 1 April and a twice-daily Osaka-Nagasaki service on 25 April - to be followed by the carrier's first international serivce which is scheduled to begin on 8 May from Osaka to Seoul's Incheon airport, the spokesman said.
It is planning to add three new routes within the next three months to Okinawa, Hong Kong and Taipei, he added.
Peach Aviation was set up in February 2011 with Y30 million in equity commitments from three investors: All Nippon Airlines owns 33.4%, Hong Kong First Investment Group holds a 33.3% stake and investment firm Innovation Network Corporation of Japan owns the remaining 33.3% stake.
The airline operates a fleet of three Airbus A320s and has another seven on order.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
