Quantcast

AirJapan leads low-cost carriers with largest fleet of widebody jets

Emirates Will Buy 5 Airbus A380s From Lessor For $200 Million
Delta Air Lines named official airline of the WNBA
Alaska Airlines flight attendants reject new contract, union says there's 'more work to do'
Elliott Investment To Push For 10 New Boardroom Directors At Southwest Airlines
Alaska Air Backs JetZero Blended-Wing Design
AI in Aviation Line Maintenance: A Strategic Response to Delays, Satisfaction, and Staffing Challenges
Air taxi service plans for 2026 Los Angeles launch at USC, SoFi and LAX
VistaJet Flight Brings Home Americans in Prisoner Swap
Air Canada Blames Paris Olympics On Decreased Profits
Delta passengers sue airline over refund refusals after CrowdStrike meltdown
Microsoft fires back at Delta after massive outage, says airline declined ‘repeated’ offers for help
Korean Air Confirms A Spacious Lounge Is Coming To The New Terminal One at New York JFK
VAS Aero Services to Acquire an Additional 17 Airbus A320 Airframes, Bringing to 23 the Total Number of A320s Slated for Teardown and Harvested Parts Redistribution
Delta CEO says CrowdStrike-Microsoft outage cost the airline $500 million
Boeing Reports $16.9 Billion In Revenue For 2nd Quarter With 5,400 Commercial Aircraft Backlog
United Airlines says flight attendant in Terrell Davis incident is no longer employed and NFL legend’s ‘no fly’ ban is lifted | CNN
Nepal Plane Crash Kills 18 After Takeoff - Airline Ratings
Southwest Airlines is getting rid of open seating | CNN Business
CrowdStrike Outage Caused 10% Spike in Air Charter
Aircraft Engine Maintenance and Repair to Peak in 2026, Worsening Capacity Shortage for Commercial Aviation, Says Bain & Company
Joby’s Electric Air Taxi Makes European Debut
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation announces NLRB-scheduled vote to remove union officials
Families recount the horror of MH17 ten years on - Airline Ratings
777-9 Enters Certification Flight Testing - AVweb
Kompass Kapital Sets New Course with Airshare Investment
SATS, SIA Engineering Company and Changi Airport Group to Trial Autonomous Buses at Changi Airport
Qatar Airways Landing An A350 In Hamburg Makes A Powerful Statement - Airline Ratings
EBAA Backs Dassault's Sustainability Lawsuit against European Commission | AIN
American Airlines Now Lets You Earn And Spend Miles On Concerts And Events
Boeing agrees to plead guilty to defrauding the FAA but escapes punishment sought by victims’ families | CNN Business
AirJapan leads low-cost carriers with largest fleet of widebody jets
Policy
Webp messenger creation fff26709 036d 4192 9e74 b4aecabc8f12
Hideki Mineguchi AirJapan President & CEO | AirJapan

Low-cost carriers have become a significant force in the global airline industry, offering competitive fares and minimal services. While many focus on short to medium-haul routes, some have ventured into long-haul flights using widebody aircraft like the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350. AirJapan stands out as the low-cost airline with the largest fleet of widebody jets.

AirJapan, based near Tokyo Narita Airport, aims to provide lower fares than its peers All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines. The airline operates a fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, recognized for their efficiency and enhanced customer experience. As a subsidiary of ANA, one of Japan's largest airlines, AirJapan was initially founded in the 1990s as ANA's charter branch but transitioned to scheduled operations in the early 2000s.

In 2020, ANA announced plans to transform AirJapan into a low-cost brand focusing on long-haul flights. Starting with several Boeing 787-8 aircraft, it has since expanded its fleet to include other variants within the same family. Today, AirJapan operates a total of 77 widebody aircraft leased from ANA.

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

AirJapan serves various longer routes from its hub at Narita Airport that are not offered by Peach, another ANA subsidiary focused on short-haul flights. Initially flying to Bangkok, Singapore, and Seoul with economy class seating only, AirJapan now utilizes each variant of the Boeing jet due to their superior efficiency compared to older models.

The competition among low-cost carriers is intense. According to planespotters.net data:

- ZIPAIR has a fleet size of eight.

- AirAsia X operates eighteen.

- Scoot manages fifty-seven (twenty-two widebody).

- JetStar has eighty-eight (eleven widebody jets).

- Cebu Pacific runs ninety-three (eleven widebody jets).

Despite these competitors' presence in Asia's budget market landscape, none match AirJapan's scale in operating long-haul routes with widebodies.

Other low-cost airlines also use widebodies for long-haul operations beyond Asia; Brazilian carrier Azul Linhas Aereas flies twelve Airbus A330s and plans further orders for A350s while European French bee connects France with distant destinations using densely-configured Airbus A350 jets.

However rare this strategy may be among budget airlines worldwide—many preferring narrowbodies due mainly because they cater more effectively towards price-sensitive passengers—it remains essential within aviation markets where competition against traditional flag carriers can prove challenging without robust resources such as large fleets or global partnerships supporting loyalty programs necessary when entering most international arenas dominated by well-established players like those mentioned above: Southwest Airlines & Ryanair being prime examples thereof who exclusively operate single-type fleets primarily servicing shorter distances instead altogether avoiding costly endeavors associated therein altogether thus far opting instead favoring safer albeit less ambitious paths forward ultimately yielding greater returns over time rather than risking potential failure akin past attempts made unsuccessfully by others before them notably including Wow Air & Norwegian whose respective ventures ceased March '19 January '21 respectively after struggling compete amidst fierce rivalries faced along way inevitably leading downfall despite best efforts undertaken during tenure held prior closure thereafter consequently leaving behind legacy lessons learned valuable future reference moving forward should similar circumstances arise again later date perhaps someday soon given ever-changing nature industry itself inherently subject fluctuations demand patterns shifting geopolitical landscapes affecting travel trends worldwide continuously evolving adapting meet needs travelers everywhere seeking affordable options explore globe safely comfortably affordably possible today tomorrow always

Organizations Included in this History
More News

Sidney Ho, General Manager of the Flying Food Group facility at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), said that Teamsters Local 2875 blocked the driveway, holding up drivers, including one carrying cargo for a Virgin Atlantic flight, until...

May 20, 2025

On International Tea Day, Emirates and Dilmah celebrated their 33-year partnership by offering a special edition gift box of Dilmah teas to customers on flights over 2.5 hours.

May 20, 2025

The Emirates A350 aircraft made its debut in Amman earlier than planned, arriving two weeks ahead of schedule.

May 20, 2025

Emirates has opened its first Travel Store in Geneva, covering an area of 134 square meters.

May 20, 2025

The Emirates Travel Store has opened its doors in Accra, situated at Stanbic Heights in Airport City.

May 20, 2025

Flying privately from New York to London offers unparalleled flexibility and convenience, allowing travelers to choose departure times and airports according to their preferences.

May 19, 2025