Japan's ANA places $5bn order for 48 new jets

Carrier and budget arm Peach plan to expand fleet and services as company also takes stake in Philippine Airlines

ANA jets at Tokyo's Haneda airport. The operator will order aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. AFP

Japan's ANA will order 48 new aircraft for a total of about $5 billion, including 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 18 Airbus A320neos, with deliveries scheduled from end of 2021 to end of 2025, the company said on Tuesday.

ANA said decision was based on the economic growth of Asia and emerging countries, "with demand in the Asian aviation market and inbound demand [to Japan] on the rise".

ANA and its budget arm Peach each selected specific aircraft to fit the company's strategy to expand the fleets and their coverage further. The markets that will be served by the new aircraft have not yet been finalised, ANA said.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 order for 30 of the single-aisle jet, costing around $3 billion at list price, is a first for a Japanese airline and is expected to improve operational efficiency by approximately 15 per cent, ANA said. It will succeed the current Boeing 737 NG series. The order includes 10 optional.

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The order for 18 Airbus A320neos, at a total list price of about $1.9bn and which is a single-aisle which already serves ANA's international routes, was chosen for its excellent fuel efficiency and cruising performance to support Peach's current strategy, according to the carrier.

Also on Tuesday, ANA said it will by a 9.5 per cent stake in PAL. The $95 million stake purchase in the parent company of flag-carrier Philippines Airlines, the biggest carrier in that country, comes as part of ANA's strategy to expand its international group network, which it considers its "main growth pillar", and its push to strengthen its partnerships with foreign airlines.

"Asia is a key growth market and we believe Philippine Airlines is in an excellent operational position to capitalise on both the strong uptick in air traffic growth as well as the vibrant, expanding Philippine economy," said Shinya Katanozaka, president and CEO of ANA.

ANA operates 14 flights weekly on 2 routes to the Philippines and Philippine Airlines currently operates 84 flights weekly on 9 routes to Japan. The two carriers have codeshare operations on Japan - Philippine routes and domestic routes within Japan and the Philippines, linking a total of 16 Japanese and 11 Philippine destinations.