All Nippon Airways
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_(cropped).jpg) An All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-9 | |||||||
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| Founded | 27 December 1952 (as Japan Helicopter and Aeroplane) | ||||||
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Commenced operations |
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| Hubs | |||||||
| Secondary hubs | |||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| ANA Mileage Club | |||||||
| Alliance | Star Alliance | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | |||||||
| Fleet size | 259 | ||||||
| Destinations | 92[2] | ||||||
| Parent company | ANA Holdings Inc. | ||||||
| Traded as | |||||||
| Headquarters | Shiodome City Center, Minato, Tokyo, Japan[3] | ||||||
| Key people | |||||||
| Revenue |  ¥1.020 trillion (2022)[4] | ||||||
| Operating income | ¥−29.090 billion (2022)[4] | ||||||
| Net income | ¥−142.239 billion (2022)[4] | ||||||
| Total assets | ¥3.218 trillion (2022)[4] | ||||||
| Total equity |  ¥803.415 billion (2022)[4] | ||||||
| Employees | 42,196 (2022)[4] | ||||||
| Website | ana.co.jp | ||||||
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ANA operates services to both domestic and international destinations and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival Japan Airlines.[5] As of March 2024,[update] the airline has approximately 12,800 employees.[6] The airline joined as a Star Alliance member in October 1999.
In addition to its mainline operations, ANA controls several subsidiary passenger carriers,[7] such as its regional airline ANA Wings, Air Nippon, Air Do (a low-cost carrier operating scheduled service between Tokyo and cities in Hokkaido), Air Japan and Allex Cargo (ANA Cargo – the freighter division operated by Air Japan). Peach Aviation, a low-cost carrier based in Japan, is fully owned by ANA.[8]
History
[edit]Formation
[edit]
ANA's earliest ancestor was Japan Helicopter and Aeroplane Transports Company (日本ヘリコプター輸送, Nippon Herikoputā Yusō) (also known as Nippon Helicopter and Aeroplane), an airline company founded on 27 December 1952.[9] Nippon Helicopter was the source of what would later be ANA's International Air Transport Association (IATA) airline code, NH.[10]
NH began helicopter services in February 1953. On 15 December 1953, it operated its first cargo flight between Osaka and Tokyo using a de Havilland Dove, JA5008.[9] This was the first scheduled flight flown by a Japanese pilot in postwar Japan. Passenger service on the same route began on 1 February 1954, and was upgraded to a de Havilland Heron in March.[11] In 1955, Douglas DC-3s began flying for NH as well,[9] by which time the airline's route network extended from northern Kyūshū to Sapporo. In December 1957 Nippon Helicopter changed its name to All Nippon Airways Company.[12]
ANA's other ancestor was Far East Airlines (極東航空, Kyokutō Kōkū).[13] Although it was founded on 26 December 1952, one day before Nippon Helicopter, it did not begin operations until 20 January 1954, when it began night cargo runs between Osaka and Tokyo, also using a de Havilland Dove. It adopted the DC-3 in early 1957, by which point its route network extended through southern Japan from Tokyo to Kagoshima.[11]
Far East Airlines merged with the newly named All Nippon Airways in March 1958. The combined companies had a total market capitalization of 600 million yen, and became Japan's largest private airline[9] as Japan Airlines was government-owned. The merged airline received a new Japanese name (全日本空輸; Zen Nippon Kūyu; All Japan Air Transport). The new united airline ran a route network that was amalgamated from its two predecessors, and the company logo of the larger NH was chosen to serve as its logo.[9]
Domestic era
[edit]| Year | Traffic |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 693 RPMs |
| 1968 | 1327 RPMs |
| 1970 | 2727 RPMs |
| 1972 | 3794 RPMs |
| 1973 | 8421 RPKs |
| 1975 | 10513 RPKs |
| 1979 | 17073 RPKs |
| 1985 | 18997 RPKs |
| 1990 | 33007 RPKs |
| 1995 | 42722 RPKs |
ANA grew through the 1960s, adding the Vickers Viscount to the fleet in 1960 and the Fokker F27 in 1961.[9] October 1961 marked ANA's debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as well as the Osaka Securities Exchange.[9] 1963 saw another merger, with Fujita Airlines, raising the company's capital to 4.65 billion yen.[9] In 1965 ANA introduced its first jet, the Boeing 727 trijet, on the Tokyo-Sapporo route. Prior to this, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau denied an import license for ANA's 727s unless Japan Airlines (JAL) acquired their own fleet of 727s.[14] ANA also introduced Japan's first homegrown turboprop airliner, the NAMC YS-11 in 1965, replacing Convair 440s on local routes.[9] In 1969, ANA introduced Boeing 737 services.[9]
As ANA grew, it started to contract travel companies across Japan to handle ground services in each region. Many of these companies received shares in ANA as part of their deals. Some of these relationships continue today in different forms: for instance, Nagoya Railroad, which handled ANA's operations in the Chūbu region along with other partnerships,[15] maintains a permanent seat on ANA's board of directors.[16] By 1974, ANA had Japan's largest domestic airline network.[13]
While ANA's domestic operations grew, the Ministry of Transport had granted government-owned JAL a monopoly on international scheduled flights[9] that lasted until 1986. ANA was allowed to operate international charter flights: its first was a Boeing 727 charter from Tokyo to Hong Kong on 21 February 1971.[17]
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ANA bought its first widebody aircraft, six Lockheed L-1011s, in November 1971, following a lengthy sales effort by Lockheed which had involved negotiations between US president Richard Nixon, Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka and UK prime minister Edward Heath (lobbying in favor of engine maker Rolls-Royce). Tanaka also pressed Japanese regulators to permit ANA to operate on Asia routes as part of the package.[18] The aircraft entered service on the Tokyo-Okinawa route in 1974. The carrier had ordered McDonnell Douglas DC-10s but cancelled the order at the last minute and switched to Lockheed. It was later revealed that Lockheed had indirectly bribed Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka to force this switch: the scandal led to the arrest of Tanaka and several managers from ANA and Lockheed sales agent Marubeni for corruption.[19]
Boeing 747s were introduced on the Tokyo-Sapporo and Tokyo-Fukuoka routes in 1976[9] and Boeing 767s in 1983[20] on Shikoku routes. The carrier's first B747s were the short-range SR variant, designed for Japanese domestic routes.[17]
International era
[edit]
In 1986, ANA began to expand beyond Japan's key domestic carrier to become a competitive international carrier as well,[9] breaking Japan Airlines' monopoly as the sole Japanese flag carrier like many other countries in Asia.[21] On 3 March 1986, ANA started scheduled international flights with a passenger service from Tokyo to Guam.[22] Flights to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., followed by year's end, and ANA also entered a service agreement with American Airlines[9] to feed the US carrier's new flights to Narita.
ANA expanded its international services gradually: to Beijing, Dalian, Hong Kong and Sydney in 1987; to Seoul in 1988; to London and Saipan in 1989; to Paris in 1990 and to New York and Singapore in 1991.[23][24] Airbus equipment such as the A320 and A321 was added to the fleet in the early 1990s, as was the Boeing 747-400 jet. ANA joined the Star Alliance in October 1999.[25]
In February 2001, to promote the opening of Universal Studios Japan,[26] ANA unveiled the Woody Woodpecker-themed Woody Jet, using the Boeing 767-300, for its domestic flights.[27]
2004 saw ANA's profits exceed JAL's for the first time. That year, facing a surplus of slots due to the construction of new airports and the ongoing expansion of Tokyo International Airport, ANA announced a fleet renewal plan that would replace some of its large aircraft with a greater number of smaller aircraft.[28]
Also in 2004, ANA set up low-cost subsidiary Air Next to operate flights from Fukuoka Airport starting in 2005, and became the majority shareholder in Nakanihon Airline Service (NAL) headquartered in Nagoya Airport.[29] In 2005, ANA renamed NAL to Air Central, and relocated its headquarters to Chūbu Centrair International Airport.[30] On 12 July 2005, ANA reached a deal with NYK to sell its 27.6% share in Nippon Cargo Airlines, a joint venture formed between the two companies in 1987.[31] The sale allowed ANA to focus on developing its own cargo division. In 2006, ANA, Japan Post, Nippon Express, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines founded ANA & JP Express (AJV), which would operate freighters. ANA is the top shareholder of AJV. It absorbed Air Japan's freighter operations.
Air Transport World named ANA its 2007 "Airline of the Year". In 2006, the airline was recognized by FlightOnTime.info as the most punctual scheduled airline between London and Tokyo for the last four consecutive years, based on official British statistics.[32] Japan Airlines took over the title in 2007. In 2009, ANA announced plans to test an idea as part of the airline's "e-flight" campaign, encouraging passengers on select flights to visit the airport restroom before they board.[33][34] On 10 November of the same year, ANA also announced "Inspiration of JAPAN", ANA's newest international flight concept, with redesigned cabins initially launched on its 777-300ER aircraft.[35]
In July 2011, All Nippon Airways and AirAsia agreed to form a low-cost carrier, called AirAsia Japan, based at Tokyo's Narita International Airport. ANA held 51 percent shares and AirAsia held 33 percent voting shares and 16 percent non-voting shares through its wholly owned subsidiary, AA International.[36] The carrier lasted until October 2013, when AirAsia withdrew from the joint venture; the carrier was subsequently rebranded as Vanilla Air.
In March 2018, All Nippon Airways announced the integration of its two low-cost carrier subsidiaries Peach Aviation and Vanilla Air into one entity retaining the Peach name;[37] the integration was completed in October 2019.
On 29 January 2019, ANA Holdings purchased a 9.5% stake in PAL Holdings, Philippine Airlines' parent company, for US$95 million.[38] Following PAL's bankruptcy and restructuring in 2021, ANA's stake was reduced to 4.11 percent by May 2023.[39]
Parent company
[edit]ANA Holdings Inc. was created in April 2013 due to the "changing landscape of the airline industry", with competition against low cost carriers cited as one of the reasons. The new holding company would have over 70 companies under it, most notably All Nippon Airways, but also low cost subsidiaries such as Peach Aviation, and other catering and ground operations companies. The holding company is led by a separate chairman and CEO.[40]
Senior leadership
[edit]- Chairman: Shinya Katanozaka (since April 2022)
- President and Chief Executive: Koji Shibata (since April 2022)
List of former chairmen
[edit]- Yoji Ohashi (2013–2015)
- Shinichiro Ito (2015–2022)
List of former presidents and chief executives
[edit]- Shinichiro Ito (2013–2015)
- Shinya Katanozaka (2015–2022)
Corporate affairs and identity
[edit]President and chief executive officer
[edit]All Nippon Airways has been led by only a president and CEO since April 2013, when a new parent company was formed. The chairman of All Nippon Airways became the chairman of the holding company, and All Nippon Airways ceased to have its own chairman. The following is a list of presidents and CEOs, along with the year of their appointment:[41]
- Masuichi Midoro – 1952
- Kaheita Okazaki – 1961
- Isamu Morimura – 1967
- Tetsuo Oba – 1969
- Tokuji Wakasa – 1970
- Masamichi Anzai – 1976
- Taizo Nakamura – 1983
- Akio Kondo – 1987
- Seiji Fukatsu – 1993
- Kichisaburo Nomura – 1997
- Yoji Ohashi – 2001
- Mineo Yamamoto – 2005
- Shinichiro Ito – 2009
- Osamu Shinobe – 2013
- Yuji Hirako – 2017
- Shinichi Inoue – 2022 (current)
Headquarters
[edit]
All Nippon Airways is headquartered in the Shiodome City Center, located in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo.[43][42]
In the late 1960s, the airline was based in the Hikokan Building in Shinbashi, Minato.[44] From the 1970s to the late 1990s, ANA's headquarters were in the Kasumigaseki Building in Chiyoda, Tokyo.[45][46][47][48] Prior to relocating to its current site, the company was headquartered on the grounds of Tokyo International Airport in Ōta, Tokyo.[49] In 2002, ANA announced plans to occupy up to ten floors in the under-construction Shiodome City Center and to relocate some subsidiaries there.[50] The building opened in 2003, becoming ANA's new headquarters.[51]
Subsidiaries
[edit]
ANA Group is a group of companies which are wholly or primarily owned by ANA. It comprises the following:[52]
Commercial aviation
- Air Japan
- ANA Wings
- Air Do (major shareholder)
- Nippon Cargo Airlines[53]
- Peach (wholly-owned)
- Philippine Airlines (4% shareholder)
- Vietnam Airlines (5.62% shareholder)
- IFTA (Flight Training Academy training pilots for ANA Group airlines and other worldwide airlines by contract)
- Pan Am Flight Academy
General aviation
- All Nippon Helicopter (dedicated for the public broadcaster NHK)
Hotels
- IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan (minority stake)
Discontinued
- AirAsia Japan (folded into Peach Aviation)
- Air Hokkaido (80% shareholding, ceased operations on 31 March 2006)
- Allex Cargo (merged into Air Japan)
- Vanilla Air (merged into Peach Aviation)
The following airlines merged into ANA Wings on 1 October 2010
Cargo services
[edit]_ANA_Cargo_Boeing_767-381ERBCF_JA8970_@_RJAA_2026-06-13.jpg)
As of July 2025, ANA operated a fleet of eight freighter aircraft, including two Boeing 767-300(BCF), four Boeing 767-300F and two Boeing 777F aircraft.[citation needed] ANA's freighters operate on 18 international routes and 6 domestic routes. ANA operates an overnight cargo hub at Naha Airport in Okinawa, which receives inbound freighter flights from key destinations in Japan, China and Southeast Asia between 1 and 4 a.m., followed by return flights between 4 and 6 a.m., allowing overnight service between these regional hubs as well as onward connections to other ANA and partner carrier flights. The 767 freighters also operate daytime flights from Narita and Kansai to various destinations in East and Southeast Asia.[54] ANA also operates a 767 freighter on an overnight Kansai-Haneda-Saga-Kansai route on weeknights,[55] which is used by overnight delivery services to send parcels to and from destinations in Kyushu.[56]
ANA established a 767 freighter operation in 2006 through a JV with Japan Post, Nippon Express and Mitsui, called ANA & JP Express. ANA announced a second freighter joint venture called Allex in 2008, with Kintetsu World Express, Nippon Express, MOL Logistics and Yusen Air & Sea as JV partners.[57] Allex merged with ANA subsidiary Overseas Courier Services (OCS), an overseas periodical distribution company, in 2009,[58] and ANA & JP Express was folded into ANA in 2010.[59]
ANA Cargo and the United States–based United Parcel Service have a cargo alliance and a code-share agreement, similar to an airline alliance, to transport member cargo on UPS Airlines aircraft.[60][61]
ANA also has a long historical relationship with Nippon Cargo Airlines, a Narita-based operator of Boeing 747 freighters. ANA co-founded NCA with shipping company Nippon Yusen in 1978, and at one time held 27.5% of NCA's stock. ANA sold its stake to NYK in 2005, but retained a technical partnership with NCA.[62] ANA announced in July 2013 that it would charter NCA's 747 freighter aircraft for an overnight cargo run between Narita and Okinawa, doubling capacity between ANA's key cargo hubs and freeing up 767 aircraft to operate new routes from Okinawa to Nagoya and Qingdao.[63]
On 7 March 2023, Nippon Yusen and ANA Holdings announced that ANA would acquire all shares of NCA from Nippon Yusen by 1 October 2023, or a date to be agreed by the two companies.[64][65] ANA is also considering a future merger of ANA Cargo and NCA.[64][66] Finally, ANA Cargo is integrating to NCA in 1 April 2027.[67]
Destinations
[edit].jpg)
ANA has an extensive domestic route network that covers the entirety of Japan, from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south. ANA's international route network extends through China, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, Canada, United States, Mexico, Australia, and Western Europe. Its key international hub is Narita International Airport, where it shares the South Wing of Terminal 1 with its Star Alliance partners,[68] though Haneda Airport is becoming a major international hub due to its close proximity with downtown Tokyo and the mass expansions occurring there.
ANA's international network currently focuses on business destinations; its only remaining "resort" routes are its routes from Haneda and Narita to Honolulu; past resort routes such as Narita-Guam, Kansai-Honolulu and Nagoya-Honolulu have been cancelled, although ANA plans to expand resort service in the future through its low-cost subsidiary Peach Aviation.[69]
Interline agreements
[edit]All Nippon Airways have interline agreements with the following airline partners: