Air Japan will cease all flight operations from March 2026, almost two years after Japanese airline group ANA launched the brand to offer low-cost flights mainly on Asian routes.
Its final flight will be from Singapore to Narita Airport on Mar 29 at 12.55am.
ANA Group said on Thursday (Oct 30) that the decision comes as it seeks to restructure its brand strategy. Currently, it has three brands - full-service flight operator ANA, low-cost carrier Peach, as well as AirJapan, which operates as a hybrid carrier.
The restructuring will consolidate ANA Group’s flight operations into two brands - its namesake airline and Peach.
“This decision is aimed at maximising the entire group’s profitability and competitiveness while flexibly responding to recent changes in the business environment,” said ANA Group.
It cited concerns about global developments such as the war in Ukraine and aircraft delivery delays, and added that it is also managing the aircraft on the ground (AOG) situation involving its Boeing 787 aircraft.
AOG is an aviation term for planes that are unable to fly due to technical, mechanical or maintenance issues.
“To optimise the allocation of the group’s resources, ANA Group decided to suspend the Air Japan brand. Its aircraft and human resources will be consolidated into the ANA brand’s operations to expand its international business,” it said.
Air Japan had said on Sep 4 that it would ramp up its schedule with daily Singapore-Tokyo flights from Nov 21 due to the addition of another aircraft to its fleet. It also touted its “well-priced” one-way fares starting at S$226 (US$174).
Source: CNA
--Agencies
