Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co Ltd (ANA) is buying three Airbus SAS A380 aircraft in a billion-dollar deal, business daily Nikkei said yesterday, making it the first Japanese carrier to own the superjumbo jet.
The Japanese airline plans to introduce the double-decker airplanes on flights to Hawaii and other overseas destinations, in an effort to boost its international business.
The company paid about ￥150 billion (US$1.24 billion) for the three A380s, which each have 500 seats, more than double the seating than on ANA airplanes that currently fly to Hawaii, the business daily said.
In 2014, ANA was ahead of its rival Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL) in terms of passenger count on international flights, but JAL served more people on the Tokyo-Hawaii route — 35 percent of all Hawaii-bound passengers compared with ANA’s 20 percent.
ANA hopes the superjumbo purchase will give it a leg up and allow it to increase the number of people it serves on flights to Hawaii. About 1.5 million people travel from Japan to Hawaii ever year, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
ANA’s domestic rival Skymark Airlines Inc signed a contract with Airbus in 2011 to buy six A380s, but the superjumbo manufacturer canceled the US$2.2 billion order in July 2014, apparently over concerns it would not get paid.
In October last year, ANA announced six-month net profit soared 51 percent, as a jump in inbound tourism boosted its international business, while falling oil prices also helped the airlines’ finances.
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