New Japanese low cost carrier

Transport 03/03/2011

The seeds were sown yesterday for the establishment of the very first Japanese low cost airline when All Nippon Airways (ANA) and First Eastern Investment Group signed a Memorandum of Agreement. The new airline, which will operate autonomously from Kansai International Airport in Osaka, will serve both international and domestic routes. Although the company is expected to be established some time before the end of the year, operations will commence in the second half of 2011.

President and CEO of ANA, Shinichiro Ito, commented: "Under our corporate vision of becoming the number one airline group in Asia, ANA has been steadily working to substantially improve its network between Japan and Asia. Regardless of the intense competition in the air transportation industry, we anticipate an increase in passenger traffic demand in East Asia, and came to the conclusion that a low cost carrier would be the right approach to compete effectively in this market. We are pleased to partner with First Eastern and to work together to establish the first low cost carrier in Japan."

ANA already serves 50 destinations in Japan and 27 other cities in Asia, Europe and the USA.