• ANA Tile
    All Nippon Airways
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    NH/ANA
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport
    Year Founded:
    1952
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Koji Shibata
    Country:
    Japan
    Region:
    Asia

Japanese Airline ANA Holding announced its commitment to previous Boeing agreements by finalizing the order for the 737 MAX aircraft and also tweaking the 777-9 order. The airline already features a Boeing-heavy fleet, and the latest announcement signals its allegiance to the US planemaker.

ANA’s 777-9 order modified

Japan's All Nippon Airways has given us a glimpse of its future cargo fleet by tweaking its existing widebody airplane agreement with Boeing.

ANA has asked Boeing to convert 2 of the 20 Boeing 777-9 aircraft – that had been initially announced in March 2014 – with Boeing 777-8F cargo aircraft. If all goes according to plan, the freighters will enter service with ANA around 2028.

The airline currently has ten active dedicated all-Boeing freighters in its fleet – two B777-200F, four B767-300F, and four B767-300(ERBCF).

Boeing 777X On Taxiway
Photo: Boeing

Boeing is happy with the 777X freighter response

ANA’s interest in the 777-8F comes almost a month and a half after Boeing spoke highly of the response that the freighter edition of the type has received. Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun said that he was confident that the 777 family, specifically the 777X, and its passenger and freighter versions, will find its way into a market where it is on its own.

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Boeing has been delaying the anticipated service entry date for the 777X, with the passenger variant entering service as late as 2025, leaving airlines across the industry frustrated. But Calhoun was happy that “interest in the freighter version is very high.”

Apart from ANA, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, and Ethiopian, too, have placed orders for the type, with Boeing expecting to deliver the first 777X freighter in 2027. With Airbus pushing its own A350F to airlines across the world, it’ll be interesting to see which aircraft comes out on top in the coming years.

Boeing777xLarge-(3)-1
Image: Boeing

737 MAX agreement finalized

ANA also finalized its agreement to purchase 20 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, with an option of 10 more, which was announced in January 2019. The airline said that the introduction of the narrowbody aircraft is scheduled to begin in 2025 and will be used to replace its existing Boeing 737 NG airplanes. It said,

“The new aircraft will be introduced to replace the Boeing 737-800, which are currently in operation on domestic routes, and will offer a more spacious and comfortable cabin with less noise than the existing model.”

JA59AN_(43683677284)
ANA wants the 737 MAX to replace its existing older generation 737s. Photo: Alec Wilson via Wikimedia Commons

ANA had placed the MAX order just months before the global grounding of the type following the two deadly crashes. Since then, the narrowbody plane has gone through software modifications and a long process of convincing aviation regulators worldwide that it is safe to fly again.

ANA also confirmed its trust in the plane, noting that 46 airlines worldwide have resumed operations of the aircraft and that it has been operating smoothly without any operational issues.

We don’t know the exact financial details of the deal but based on the list price, it is close to $2.5 billion. Of course, aircraft manufacturers typically offer significant discounts on large orders like this.

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