ANA Holdings raised eyebrows on Tuesday with a major new aircraft order. The Tokyo-based company, best known for its All Nippon Airways brand, announced deals with not one, but three separate planemakers.
At catalog prices, the agreements are worth around $14 billion and span Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer models. The tasty trifecta means at least 77 new aircraft are heading to Tokyo.
Acknowledging Japan’s booming tourism market, ANA said the deal was “in anticipation of future growth in passenger demand, including strong inbound demand.”
The largest component is 18 firm orders for Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets. ANA was the first airline in the world to operate the 787, and today flies all three variants from the smallest -8 through to the largest -10. Tuesday’s deal is for the mid-sized -9, with deliveries expected between 2028 and 2031.
ANA is also giving Boeing’s troubled 737 Max program a boost, with an extra order for the type. This latest agreement is for a dozen 737 Max 8 planes, of which eight are firm orders and four are options.
This builds on ANA’s earlier commitment for up to 30 737 Max aircraft. The Boeing portion of the plane order is worth approximately $8.87 billion at list prices, however, airlines are usually able to negotiate steep discounts.
What About Airbus?
ANA is also ramping up its Airbus portfolio, with 27 new aircraft ordered on Tuesday. Of these, 24 are the A321neo and a further three are the new XLR ‘Xtra Long Range’ model.
All of the Airbus deliveries are due between 2030 and 2032. The catalog price for the Airbus deal is approximately $3.88 billion, with an engine supplier still to be decided for 14 of 24 A321neo.
Peach, the company’s wholly-owned budget subsidiary, is due to receive the bulk of the Airbus order. The airline has long been an all-Airbus operator and recently introduced the A321neo to its fleet.
ANA confirmed that Peach will take 10 A321neos, plus all three of the XLRs. This suggests that the no-frills airline will spread its wings and begin low-cost, long-haul flights by leveraging the XLR’s extended range. This could theoretically see Peach fly nonstop from Tokyo to Australia.
Skift was recently onboard the world’s first Airbus A321XLR passenger flight. Spanish flag carrier Iberia was the first airline to introduce the type, with the aircraft typically flying between Madrid and the U.S. East Coast. Irish carrier Aer Lingus has also announced new transatlantic routes with the next-generation jet.
ANA’s XLR experiment will be a disappointment to Boeing. However, it could have been much worse. There will likely be a collective sigh of relief in Seattle that ANA did not go the way of Japan Airlines and shake up its widebody strategy.
With the exception of three Airbus A380 superjumbo jets that are used on leisure-heavy routes to and from Hawaii, ANA is a steadfast Boeing customer for twin-aisle planes. Until the 747’s retirement in 2014, ANA operated the full range of Boeing widebody jets including the 767, 777, and 787. Tuesday’s developments suggest this commitment is still in place.
The E2’s Japanese Debut
ANA is heading to Brazil for the final order in the Japanese shopping spree as it signs its first major deal with Embraer for up to 20 E190-E2 regional jets.
The agreement comprises 15 firm orders plus five additional options for the 100-seater aircraft. These are due to arrive between 2028 and 2032 with a list price of approximately $1.66 billion. ANA said the E2s will be used on domestic routes “ to flexibly meet supply and demand.”
The deal marks the first Japanese customer for Embraer’s latest generation aircraft. It follows the E2’s successful rollout with Singapore Airlines’ budget subsidiary Scoot.
In a market filing, ANA Holdings said Tuesday’s order will “secure international aircraft required for medium-to-long term growth” as well as new domestic planes that are required to “flexibly respond to future changes in the business environment.” It also noted that some of the new arrivals will be used to replace existing aircraft.
Koji Shibata, President and CEO of ANA Holdings described the deal as a “catalyst for improving the profitability of domestic flights and the expansion of international flights which is an area of future growth of our airline business.”
ANA Holdings expects to have approximately 320 planes in operation by 2030, of which around 120 will be Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets.
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