All Nippon Airways president Shinichi Inoue has defended the decision to suspend the short-lived operations of medium-haul brand AirJapan, noting that parent company ANA Holdings “remains flexible” in its long-term plans.
At a media roundtable on 15 November, Inoue said the suspension was not because the AirJapan unit was not performing well. He was speaking on the sidelines of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines’ (AAPA) Assembly of Presidents in Bangkok.
Instead, the decision was made so as to “optimise profitability” and its allocation of resources within the group, says Inoue.
ANA Holdings, which also comprises low-cost unit Peach, announced the suspension in late-October, in a move to restructure its “multi-brand strategy” and consolidate its resources amid geopolitical and supply chain challenges.
ANA, for instance, is facing engine reliability issues on its 787s and Airbus A320neo-family jets, on top of delays in the delivery of new 737 Max and 777-9 aircraft.
The group also cites Russian airspace closure as a key reason, which has impacted flight time and utilisation of aircraft and crew.
Inoue stresses that the AirJapan unit was “not a failure”, pointing to improvements in operational performance: AirJapan’s revenue for the six months to 30 September was 18% year on year, in line with a 17% rise in passenger volumes.
Nonetheless, Inoue concedes that it would “too premature” to judge the brand’s full viability, given its short-lived operations.
AirJapan, flies from Tokyo Narita to Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul Incheon, will suspend operations at the end of March 2026, barely two years after it began flying. Its fleet of two Boeing 787-8s likely to be absorbed into mainline operator ANA’s fleet. AirJapan.
