Japan's Peach Aviation to begin A321neo ops in mid-1Q22

Japan's Peach begins A321neo(LR) operations

Peach Aviation (MM, Osaka Kansai) took delivery of its first A321-200NX(LR) on December 9, 2021, which was then ferried to Japan on December 19, and inducted into it revenue service out of Osaka Kansai on December 28, 2021.

JA902P (msn 10628) is the first of four A321-200NX(LR)s due for delivery to the budget airline. Two of the four units will be owned by Air Lease Corporation and two by the airline. All will be outfitted with 218 seats in a single-class configuration.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Peach Aviation, a subsidiary of ANA Holdings, currently operates twenty-eight A320-200s and six A320-200Ns. Besides the other A321-200NX(LR)s on order, the LCC has another unit of the same type and five more A320-200Ns on order from Airbus.

Peach Aviation accelerated the debut of the A321-200NX(LR)s to increase capacity during the year-end peak, as it originally scheduled their commercial induction for February 1, 2022. It is currently deploying the aircraft out of Osaka Kansai to Okinawa Naha...

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Japan's ANA set to issue ¥150bn convertible bonds

ANA - All Nippon Airways (NH, Tokyo Haneda) parent ANA Holdings will issue around JPY150 billion yen (USD1.3 billion) worth of bonds due in December 2031, the proceeds from which will be used to support its business structure reform plan announced in October 2020 as well as redeeming maturing bonds and refinancing debt, it announced in a Tokyo Stock Exchange filing on November 24.

The ten-year zero-coupon convertible bonds are set to be issued in the denomination of JPY10 million (USD86,700) each on December 10 (London time). Of the JPY150 billion total, ANA will deploy about JPY70 billion (USD607 million) to redeem bonds maturing in September 2022, while JPY30 billion (USD260 million) will be used to repay the long-term debt that is due to mature by March 2024.

The remaining JPY50 billion (USD433 million) has been allocated "to promote further our business structure reform plan, including investments in reforming our service model and establishing our new third brand." This third brand, initially announced in October 2020 and referred to once again by...

Japan's ANA Holdings to cut 9,000 staff on weak recovery

ANA Holdings has unveiled plans to cut its workforce by about 9,000 employees through March 2026 after it was forced to revise downwards its consolidated net income projections for the current 2021/2 financial year, which ends on March 31, 2022.

In its half-year financials, the holding said the slump in passenger demand brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic had been prolonged, thereby forcing it to revise its full-year numbers downwards from a previously expected profit of JPY28 billion yen (USD246 million) to a net loss of JPY125 billion (USD1.096 billion). The job cuts will primarily affect locally-based ANA - All Nippon Airways (NH, Tokyo Haneda) staff, including cabin crew as well as ground handling teams and will not extend to budget carrier Peach Aviation (MM, Osaka Kansai).

According to the Kyodo news agency, ANA Holdings President Shinya Katanozaka told a media conference that ANA Holdings aims to reduce its headcount from the current 38,000 to about 29,000 over the next five years to rebuild its performance as quickly as possible.

For the...