ANA Holdings will lease four B737-800s to cover delays in deliveries of the M90 the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ANA - All Nippon Airways (NH, Tokyo Haneda), Yuji Hirako, has confirmed.

Speaking to Reuters, Hirako said the aircraft would be sourced from BOC Aviation and SMBC Aviation Capital and will cover capacity gaps arising from the MRJ90's delayed entry into service. Despite the setback, ANA is committed to the MRJ programme, he added.

Earlier this year, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (Nagoya Chubu) confirmed ANA would only take delivery of its maiden aircraft of the type in mid-2020. The delay has been blamed on technical shortcomings with the positioning of the aircraft's electronics.

Shinya Katanosaka, the president of ANA Holdings, said the late delivery would force the conglomerate's ANA Wings (EH, Sapporo Chitose) unit to keep its fleet of B737-500s in service longer.