ANA (All Nippon Airways), Japan”s second airline, bigger than JAL as a domestic carrier but somewhat undecided where its future is internationally, is planning ahead for a major expansion. In 2008 the first of a fleet of 50 Boeing 787s is due to arrive and in 2009 a fourth runway should be opened at Tokyo”s major airport, downtown Haneda, allowing international flights to return, probably to regional points. The flight transfer will open up more slots at Tokyo”s other airport, Narita, 40 miles outside the city and since 2002 with two runways, the shorter only 2000m in length and therefore not suitable for long range aircraft. Into Europe, ANA can see no change for the time being in its daily Narita flights to Frankfurt, Heathrow and Paris. The airline operates a four-class layout on all these routes, as it does on Tokyo ” New York. All the airline”s international operations will become four class over the next 18 months. The airline currently serves nine Chinese cities and is expected to expand. ANA has ruled out the Airbus A380, according to Shuichi Fujimura vice president Network Planning, even to replace the high density 569-seat Boeing 747s on the Haneda ” Osaka route where the airline wants to increase frequency once the runway problem is solved. Japan”s population will actually decline next year and airline growth is put at only 1%. The airline is listed on the London Stock Exchange but the Frankfurt listing has been dropped.
http://www.ana.co.jp