All Nippon Airways' Airbus A380s see low load factors on Honolulu route

Despite these numbers, load factor alone does not determine profitability. As noted by CEO Koji Shibata, “customers pay a lot of money to fly on ANA's A380.” Filling premium cabins can yield higher revenue than simply maximizing overall seat occupancy.

ANA operates flights to Honolulu from both Narita and Haneda airports. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Haneda has grown as ANA’s main long-haul hub while Narita’s role as an intercontinental gateway has diminished. Cirium data shows that ANA’s North America flights from Narita are down by about half compared to pre-pandemic levels, while Haneda has seen a significant increase in such services (https://www.cirium.com/). According to an ANA spokesperson quoted by Japan's Mainichi newspaper, Narita’s importance as a transit hub "remains unchanged," even as traffic patterns shift.

The schedule includes two daily Airbus A380 departures from Narita and one Boeing 787 service from Haneda to Hawaii. The focus for Narita-Honolulu appears increasingly directed toward point-to-point travelers rather than connecting passengers.

Looking back at previous years, ANA achieved better load factors with its A380s in 2023—averaging 69% across roughly 436,000 seats—compared to slightly lower figures in 2024 despite offering more capacity. Speaking to Business Insider last year, Shibata expressed satisfaction with the performance of the aircraft: he said he’d “like to continue to deploy those airplanes for as long as possible.” While many airlines have retired or plan to retire their A380 fleets—including Air France and Korean Air—ANA continues its commitment alongside carriers like Emirates and British Airways.

It remains unclear whether ongoing trends will affect future deployment decisions for ANA’s superjumbos.

"Narita's importance as a transit hub between North America and Asia 'remains unchanged,'" said an ANA spokesperson quoted by Mainichi.

CEO Koji Shibata commented: "customers pay a lot of money to fly on ANA's A380." He also told Business Insider he would "like to continue to deploy those airplanes for as long as possible."