Air Asia : AK : AXM :

Continuous improvement in single-aisle airliner capability has been central to the development of low-cost airlines, according to Oliver Wyman consultant Blair Pomeroy.

He expects that the availability of a re-engined Airbus A320neo - and any counter-offer from Boeing - will provide further opportunities for airlines to expand their scope of operations.

Speaking in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on low-cost carriers, Pomeroy said that airlines have used the increased range offered by the latest A320 family and Next Generation 737 aircraft to fly US and Australian transcontinental services and flights from western Europe deep into North Africa. "I think we'll see more of that as these planes continue [to be developed]," he said.

Airbus chief operating officer customers John Leahy thinks that the 15% reduction in fuel burn offered by the A320neo with its advanced turbofans from CFM International or Pratt & Whitney will be a major attraction to low-cost airlines.

"If you look at what fuel is becoming as a percentage of the overall cash operating costs of the airline, a 15% reduction [in fuel burn] is like a 7.5% reduction in your cash operating costs. It really means you can drive the ticket price even further down," he said.

The two engine suppliers on the A320neo told Airline Business that the specific requirements of low-cost airlines are key drivers when designing their new engines.

"Their key requirement is all about the cost of ownership and from an engine perspective, the first element of this is fuel burn," says CFM Leap-X programme manager Ron Klapproth.

"Low-cost carriers are really focused on moving passengers from one city to another, rather than operating and maintaining the equipment. So we have to look at our technology development to drive value so they can drive lower seat-mile costs," said P&W vice-president next generation product family Bob Saia. "These are things associated with improved fuel consumption, long time-on-wing between overhauls and really keeping the operation from flight to flight efficient."

Air Asia pourrait posséder à terme 500 Airbus

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 mai 2011 (AFP)
Le PDG de la compagnie malaisienne à bas coût AirAsia a annoncé jeudi la possibilité de quintupler le nombre d'avions de sa flotte pour la porter à 500 Airbus en raison du potentiel de croissance en Asie du Sud-Est et au delà

Airbus could wrap up two major orders for its revamped A320neo by the Paris air show in June, sales chief John Leahy said.

"Firm orders, .... save for, ..... & cela peut se terminer en "Legacy + "Sharklets" ! ;)

The deals include a final version of a 180 plane, USD$16 billion deal that Airbus reached with Indian budget carrier Indigo earlier this year.....

.........as well as another potentially big new deal with Malaysia's AirAsia.

"I think we will have the Indigo order finalised and announced by the Paris Air Show," Leahy told reporters.

"We are in final discussions with Air Asia. We hope that too will be concluded in time for the Paris Air show."
Airbus has called the Indigo order the biggest commercial jet deal in history by number of planes involved.
AirAsia has talked of buying a similar number of planes and its chief executive said this week a deal could be "imminent".

It was not immediately clear whether the AirAsia order would be a firm order or a provisional agreement. Purchases go into the plane maker's order book, contributing to annual targets and boosting the backlog of parent EADS, when finalised.
Leahy was speaking on the sidelines of an event marking the 200th Airbus delivery to UK low cost carrier easyJet.

(Reuters)

Comme disent les Indiens, d'Amérique : "He speak mainly with forked tongue" ! :P 8)

AirAsia pourrait commander jusqu'à 200 Airbus

AirAsia pourrait passer une commande atteignant jusqu'à 200 Airbus, ont fait savoir vendredi deux sources du secteur.
Le transporteur malaisien a dit envisager d'acheter au moins 150 A320 remodelés, dotés de moteurs à faible consommation de carburant, afin de pouvoir développer son activité tout en réduisant l'impact financier de la hausse des cours du pétrole.
Cette commande pourrait monter jusqu'à 200 avions et donc dépasser la commande provisoire de l'indien IndiGo de 180 appareils. "On parle de 150 à 200 appareils", précise une des sources.
Le montant de la transaction pourrait représenter de 14 à 18 milliards de dollars (9,6 à 12,4 milliards d'euros), selon le type de modèle choisi.
Airbus, filiale d'EADS, s'est abstenu de tout commentaire. Un porte-parole d'AirAsia a fait savoir que les discussions se poursuivaient.
Les deux parties espèrent annoncer l'accord lors du Salon du Bourget, qui se tient du 20 au 26 juin, mais la nature de l'accord et le calendrier restent encore incertain en raison des montants en jeu, ont précisé les sources.
Le fondateur d'AirAsia Tony Fernandes souhaite doubler la flotte du premier transporteur asiatique à bas coût, afin de dépasser celle de son concurrent Southwest Airline, qui dispose de plus de 500 appareils.
Ces sources ont enfin ajouté que le consortium CFM International, coentreprise de General Electric et Safran , est favori pour le contrat de motorisation.

Jeannot a écrit:La commande de Air Asia pourrait atteindre 200 unités (NEO)

AirAsia pourrait commander jusqu'à 200 Airbus

AirAsia pourrait passer une commande atteignant jusqu'à 200 Airbus, ont fait savoir vendredi deux sources du secteur.
Le transporteur malaisien a dit envisager d'acheter au moins 150 A320 remodelés, dotés de moteurs à faible consommation de carburant, afin de pouvoir développer son activité tout en réduisant l'impact financier de la hausse des cours du pétrole.
Cette commande pourrait monter jusqu'à 200 avions et donc dépasser la commande provisoire de l'indien IndiGo de 180 appareils. "On parle de 150 à 200 appareils", précise une des sources.
Le montant de la transaction pourrait représenter de 14 à 18 milliards de dollars (9,6 à 12,4 milliards d'euros), selon le type de modèle choisi.
Airbus, filiale d'EADS, s'est abstenu de tout commentaire. Un porte-parole d'AirAsia a fait savoir que les discussions se poursuivaient.
Les deux parties espèrent annoncer l'accord lors du Salon du Bourget, qui se tient du 20 au 26 juin, mais la nature de l'accord et le calendrier restent encore incertain en raison des montants en jeu, ont précisé les sources.
Le fondateur d'AirAsia Tony Fernandes souhaite doubler la flotte du premier transporteur asiatique à bas coût, afin de dépasser celle de son concurrent Southwest Airline, qui dispose de plus de 500 appareils.
Ces sources ont enfin ajouté que le consortium CFM International, coentreprise de General Electric et Safran , est favori pour le contrat de motorisation.

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

SEVRIEN a écrit:Merci, Jeannot et T_Har, pour ces posts.
---------------------------
......"SUH is back" !
-------------------
Ce qui est intéressant, aussi, est le fait que les opérations sur les MC de la famille A320 concernent les "Legacy" !
.....
Les gens pressés ne vont pas attendre 2016 / 2017 pour les NEO !
--------------------'
D'ailleurs, on peut commencer à se demander, "Quelle est la vraie valeur, la véracité, ..... la 'réalisabilité' des commandes (leurs livraisons) du style de 150 à 200 x A320-NEO pour Indigo & Air Asia" ?

A-t-on déjà oublié la folie des "sub-prime mortgages", de la "bulle Internet" etc ?
---------------
Les réactions de nos Forumistes nous intéressent !

(PARIS, 14 juin (Reuters) - Le directeur général d'AirAsia, Tony Fernandes n'a pas voulu se prononcer mardi sur l'état d'avancement d'une commande d'Airbus.
L'homme d'affaires malaisien, qui gère la compagnie AirAsia, est en négociation pour l'achat d'au moins 150 A320neo .
Prié de dire si l'opération serait prête pour le salon aéronautique du Bourget la semaine prochaine, Fernandes a déclaré : "Je n'ai pas encore retenu de vol pour la France. La balle est dans le camp d'Airbus. Nous avons poussé cet avion et applaudi Airbus. Attendons de voir ce qui va se passer."
(Tim Hepher, Danielle Rouquié pour le service français, édité par Wilfrid Exbrayat)

Quelle baraque, Tony FERNANDES, veut-il casser ?

Qu'est-ce qu'il veut ? Y a-t-il "un os" ?

Formula 1's Team Lotus announced a sponsorship deal with General Electric that deepens links between the US industrial group and a business empire that includes Asia's largest budget airline.

GE will join the Anglo-Malaysian racing team as a "Premium Partner" and its branding will appear on Team Lotus racing cars starting from the British Grand Prix in July.
"We have done well with the budget so far and this gives us a little bit extra," team principal Tony Fernandes told reporters.
"It will bring us money for an extra upgrade but really 2012 is where we will see the benefits of having GE on board. It is not just about money but about technology expertise."

The sponsorship tie-up with GE comes as Fernandes, who is also chief executive of AirAsia, puts the finishing touches on a potentially massive order for up to 200 Airbus planes for the Malaysian carrier.
The prospect of an aircraft order worth between USD$13 billion and USD$17 billion has sparked a fierce battle between engine makers including GE to supply hundreds of jet engines for the expanded AirAsia fleet.

The sponsorship deal underscored predictions by industry sources last week that GE would grab the engine order, after losing a string of similar deals to Pratt & Whitney.

But while he expects his motor racing and aviation interests to mesh in coming years, Fernandes refused to commit to handing the coveted order to GE and its French partner Safran.
"That deal is in the next few weeks and we are still discussing. It has to be a separate discussion but the relationship has been very good," he said in an interview.

"They both have good products," he said of the two engine makers, adding that after-sales service would be a key factor.

Fernandes said he expected to see increasing collaboration between Formula 1, with its emphasis on advanced composites and aerodynamics, and aviation.
"Until recently the brains in Formula 1 were focused on fast cars and we came along and said let's use some of those to bring commercial ventures to the aviation world."

Possible spin-offs for aviation include energy recovery and composite structures that make planes lighter, he said.
The deal will "without a doubt" help with development of KERS, which recovers energy from braking, Fernandes said.
Fernandes, a Malaysian entrepreneur who transformed a small carrier into one of Airbus's largest customers, is negotiating to buy at least 150 new medium-haul aircraft called A320neo from the European plane maker complete with fuel-saving engines.
Asked whether the deal would be ready for the Paris Air Show next week, Fernandes said, "I haven't booked any flights to France just yet. The ball is in their (Airbus's) court. We pushed this aircraft and applaud Airbus, and let's see what happens."

(Reuters)

Malaysian low-cost carrier [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has placed a firm order for 200 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] A320neo twinjets.

They will be powered by CFM International Leap engines.

Airbus chief Tom Enders said the agreement was "historic".

It means AirAsia has chalked up firm orders for 375 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-family jets.

JP_Ost a écrit:Air Asia s'engage sur 200 A 320 Neo LeapX

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Malaysian low-cost carrier [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has placed a firm order for 200 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] A320neo twinjets.

They will be powered by CFM International Leap engines.

Airbus chief Tom Enders said the agreement was "historic".

It means AirAsia has chalked up firm orders for 375 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-family jets.

No comment sinon bravo

Low-cost carrier [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] finally let everyone fully in on the worst-kept secret at the Paris show, with a spectacular firm order for 200 A320neos.
The aircraft will be powered by the CFM International Leap engine.

"The best we keep for the end of air shows," said [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] chief Tom Enders. "We have been impeccable today."
AirAsia's agreement is the largest ever order for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] family.Fernandes told Flightglobal that he would not convert any of AirAsia's current A320 backlog. The deal means the carrier's A320 orders have reached 375.

"We're taking all of them," Fernandes said. Airbus had previously indicated that customers would be barred from converting from the baseline A320 to the A320neo.
It capped a runaway week for Airbus as customers illustrated the popularity of the re-engined A320neo by taking orders and commitments into four figures just a few months after the jet was launched.

AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes joked that he signed the deal on Valentine's Day, after encouraging Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy to dance.
"John said 'I don't dance' - so I said 'I don't sign'," said Fernandes. "So Tom [Enders] said in his German paratroop voice: 'John - dance!'"

AirAsia's deal is worth $18.2 billion at catalogue prices, ranking it as the third largest, in financial terms, in Airbus's history.
"One and two are Emirates and Qatar but they don't count because they have oil and stuff," said Fernandes. "We had to do it the hard way."
Enders described the deal as a "landmark" and the "strongest endorsement yet" of the airframer's decision to launch the A320neo.

Airbus rewrote its order backlog during the show, with firm deals and commitments for 730 aircraft from 16 customers - not counting the IndiGo deal for 180 jets, which Airbus said it deliberately excluded from its show count.
This comprised firm purchase orders for 418 aircraft worth $44 billion and memoranda of understanding for 312 jets potentially worth $28.2 billion.
The airframer has achieved 1,029 total orders and commitments for the A320neo, including 667 at Paris worth nearly $61 billion.

"I have to admit I largely underestimated the market demand for A320neo before the show," said Enders.
"Le Bourget 2011 is a strong confirmation of our product strategy."

Airbus has cranked up the pressure on [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to respond to the European aircraft maker’s decision to re-engine its A320 narrowbody jet after securing one of the biggest orders in the industry’s history from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the fast-growing budget airline.
The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]from the Malaysian-based airline, headed by the flamboyant entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, puts the seal on a highly successful week for the Toulouse-based subsidiary of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] at the Paris Air Show, securing Airbus’s best performance at a show in order numbers.

In total, Airbus received orders and commitments for 730 aircraft at the show at Le Bourget this week, with a list price in excess of $72.2bn. This compares to 111 orders and commitments for Boeing, valued at $17.bn. That figure excludes a few orders from customers that Boeing announced but had previously held on its books as unidentified.
Senior executives at Airbus said other orders could be forthcoming by the end of the week, with a possible Qatar Airways deal for A380s in the final stages.

Additional reporting by Jennifer Pakin Kuala Lumpur

......The AirAsia order – Airbus’s biggest in terms of jet numbers – is valued at $18bn at list prices, though AirAsia will have secured generous discounts.
Airbus’s performance has been underpinned by the success of the A320 Neo, which secured 667 orders and commitments this week, giving it a total of more than 1,000 since its launch at the end of last year. Airbus claimed the Neo has become the fastest- selling airliner in the history of aviation.

Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive, said the deal was the “strongest endorsement yet” of the decision to upgrade the A320. The new version promises to cut fuel costs by 15 per cent, using new engines and minor redesigns to the wing.

Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing’s commercial aircraft business based in Seattle, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] by arguing that it was merely bringing the A320 up to the standard of the rival Boeing 737.

On Thursday, Mr Enders responded: “We’ve had more than 600 orders for A320 Neo in this show. If our colleagues in Seattle still maintain it is only catching up with their 737 I must ask myself what these guys are smoking.”

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] from airlines to respond to the A320Neo as both incumbents face threats from new entrants in the narrowbody market. The US group has said it will decide by the end of this year or early 2012 whether to re-engine the 737 or build an all-new aircraft.

The AirAsia deal reaffirms the rapid rise of Asia’s larg"Plans to" Belle aambition ! est budget airline, which is now Airbus’ biggest customer for narrowbody jets. It flies 2m passengers a year, up from 200,000 a decade ago. Mr Fernandes plans to grow the fleet from 104 aircraft to 500 over the next decade.

Mr Fernandes, whose approach has echoes of Virgin’s Richard Branson, provided an interesting insight to the contract negotiations with Airbus. He said he insisted that the senior executives went to a nightclub with him before signing the memorandum of understanding and told John Leahy, the Boeing sales director, that there would be no deal unless he danced.

“AirAsia is clearly at the forefront of the budget airline industry so this new order will propel it into a different league,” said Singapore-based analyst Shukor Yusof with Standard & Poor’s.

Additional reporting by Jennifer Pakin Kuala Lumpur

Less than two weeks after giving Airbus a record-breaking USD$18 billion order for 200 aircraft, AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes has even bigger plans for his budget airline, already Asia's largest.
The 47-year-old Malaysian said he saw AirAsia as a 500-plane airline, which would make it second only to America's Southwest Airlines.
"Though we look aggressive, we have expanded very cautiously," he said. "But I have always said this airline is worth at least 500 aircraft.
"When we get there depends on how many joint ventures we do and all the other equations that come in."
And the focus will be on short-haul routes and organic growth.
AirAsia, which flies to 63 destinations in more than 20 countries, has 90 planes currently, almost all single-aisle Airbus A320s. Besides the 200 Airbus A320neo it ordered last month, it has another 75 Airbus aircraft already in the pipeline, and which Fernandes said he was keeping on order.

"Our risk is making sure we manage growth and keep focus," Fernandes said.
There is a huge surge in air travel in the region, with India and China the fastest growing.
According to consultancy Frost & Sullivan, airline growth is shifting away from North America and Europe to Asia.
"It is expected to follow a different pattern from that which brought the North American and European markets to maturity," the consultancy's Kunal Sinha said.
"Narrow body aircraft are expected to form the bulk of the orders instead of turboprop and regional jets.

"Boeing has recently forecast that the Asia Pacific region would require 11,450 aircraft worth USD$1.51 trillion till 2030. Asia Pacific will account for approximately 30 percent of the global delivery."

COMMITTED TO AIRBUS

AirAsia is planning to list its operations in Indonesia and Thailand this year, and is also looking to open a hub in Singapore, Fernandes said. But the focus will be on short-haul flights.

"If you look at many airlines, they have maintenance bases, they have cargo, they have long-haul," he said. "We've kept the airline very, very focused on short-haul.
"We've never really looked at non-organic growth," Fernandes added. "I generally think mergers are value-destroying and we would just grow organically."

Fernandes is strongly committed to Airbus, and says rival Boeing will struggle to match the A320neo, which promises 8 percent cash operating cost savings compared to the existing A320.

"Building a new aircraft, I don't believe anyone in aviation history has been able to do it on time.
"We have a fantastic relationship with Airbus. I credit them tremendously with our growth and I want to be more than just a customer of theirs."

Fernandes is more than just an airline owner. He also owns the Team Lotus Formula One outfit and until recently was linked with a possible investment in West Ham United football club, which he has supported since he was a boy.
But the West Ham deal appears to be off for now.
"The relationship between the owners and myself... I don't think we are meant to be," he said.
Fernandes and his partners are also owners of niche sports car marker Caterham.

(Reuters)

C'est un message pour Boeing, aussi !

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian budget airline AirAsia Bhd will extend a deal with Airbus for its new A320neo jets to 300 planes, a source familiar with the matter said.
The two sides had announced a deal for 200 planes at the Paris Air show last month, shattering aviation records, but the additional order takes the list price of the contract to a staggering $27 billion.
Like the previous order, the fresh 100 planes would also carry CFM International engines, the source said.

Y aura-t-il une réaction vis-à-vis du GTF ? N'y a -t-il pas dejà un genre de "wake-up-call" chaque fois que le LeapX attire une commande ?

Air Asia, la principale compagnie aérienne à bas coûts d'Asie du Sud-Est, envisage de s'allier avec le Japonais All Nippon Airways (ANA) pour lancer une compagnie charter au Japon, a indiqué vendredi un quotidien malaisien.

2011 AFP

Jeannot a écrit:Je croyais que ANA avait déjà créé sa LCC : Peach. Alors pas très cohérent tout cela....

• image plutôt "haute en couleur" d'AirAsia au travers de son CEO, Tony FERNADES ("John, ... if you really want the order, ....you gotta show me, ... you gotta dance"),
  
• en contraste avec le côté sobre, sérieux et discipliné d'ANA,
  

Quand Dancer JOHN sera remis de ses émotions, et qu'il voudra vendre des Airbus A380 (ou d'autres, tels que les A350-XWB), au Japon, TF pourra l'inviter à venir "danser" au bon moment, .... pour ANA, Peach & Co., n'est-ce pas ?

Jeannot a écrit:JAL va lancer une LCC avec Jetstar

JAL to launch low-cost carrier with Qantas unit

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Airlines Corp (JAL) will enter the low-cost carriers market through a joint venture with Australia's Jetstar group, and launch domestic flights next year, Nikkei reported.
The venture will be capitalized at 10-20 billion yen ($123.8-$247.7 million), with JAL and Jetstar, a Qantas Airways subsidiary, holding 30 percent stakes each, the daily said.
A decision on which company will have management control will be taken later, the business newspaper said.
Mitsubishi Corp and Toyota Tsusho Corp have been invited to invest in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which JAL and Jetstar aim to finalize next month, Nikkei reported.
The new discount airline -- expected to eventually fly international routes -- may serve Tokyo's Narita airport, which is expanding its landing slots, the business daily said.
Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Central Japan International Airport outside Nagoya both of which operate around the clock, are also in the fray, the report said.
JAL took a variety of restructuring steps after filing for bankruptcy in January 2010, including reducing the number of routes, the newspaper said.
Although it logged a record consolidated operating profit of 188.4 billion yen for fiscal 2010, the company's revenue and profit are likely to plunge this year as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] said.
JAL had kept its distance from the low-cost-carrier market, with Chairman Kazuo Inamori saying the airline would differentiate itself by offering a high level of service, the report said

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

AirAsia and ANA to form low-cost carrier in Japan

Malaysia's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) have agreed to form a low-cost carrier based in Tokyo's Narita Airport.
The joint venture will be named AirAsia Japan, with AirAsia owning 33% voting shares and 16% non-voting shares through its wholly owned subsidiary, AA International. ANA will hold the remaining 51% stake.
AirAsia Japan will help serve the highly lucrative domestic travel market, the Malaysian carrier said in a statement.
"Air travel is deeply entrenched in the social and business life of the Japanese, even under a high cost environment," the statement said.
"Both ANA and AirAsia firmly believe that AirAsia Japan will be a success as the Japanese market possesses the necessary ingredients for growth, such as the population's strong propensity to travel, its high per capita income coupled with deep and significant internet penetration," the statement added.
The AirAsia brand is established in the Japanese market and has gained further traction since the company's long-haul low-cost operation, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], started its services to Japan early this year, according to the statement.
Under the agreement, AirAsia and ANA have agreed not to compete against AirAsia Japan.
However, this clause does not apply to Peach Aviation, ANA's low-cost carrier subsidiary based in Osaka's Kansai International Airport. Peach is expected to start its services next year.
The agreement also states that Peach is not permitted to locate its base at Narita.
AirAsia Japan will serve the domestic Japanese market and northeast Asian countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and China.
In addition, AirAsia is planning to extend its services into southeast Asia through its existing network there.
Apart from AirAsia's Malaysian operations, the low-cost carrier also operates in Indonesia and Thailand, with a virtual hub in Singapore.
The airline has also announced plans to set up joint ventures in the Philippines and Vietnam, where services are expected to begin at the end of the year.
AirAsia Japan has applied for an air operators certificate (AOC) from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.
Both AirAsia and ANA have not said when they plan to begin operations.
Qantas subsidiary Jetstar operates long-haul low-cost services into Japan from Australia, while its Singapore-based carrier Jetstar Asia also plans to begin services to Tokyo

Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) says that its joint venture with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] offers the "most efficient" option for the start-up of a low-cost airline based in Tokyo's Narita International Airport. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

AirAsia Japan, which aims to begin operations in August 2012, will be 51% owned by ANA. It will be the first low-cost carrier to be based in Narita, the airlines said in a statement.

Recent developments such as open skies agreements and increased competition from road and rail-based travel have led to the "rapid transformation" of the Japanese airline market, said ANA.
In addition, Narita aims to increase its capacity with a new terminal that should attract low-cost carriers and foreign airlines, added the Star Alliance carrier.
"ANA concluded that partnering with an existing low-cost carrier is the most efficient and strategically advantageous option," said the airline.

AirAsia Japan leverages on AirAsia's successful business model and brings together the complementary strengths of the two companies, it added.
"We believe that AirAsia Japan will make air travel more accessible and provide a convenient and efficient travel option for a wide range of people," said Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO of ANA.

AirAsia will own 33% voting shares in the joint venture and 16% non-voting shares through its wholly owned subsidiary AA International. AirAsia has been seeking a business partner with strong Japanese market influence to expand its network for some time, said the Malaysian carrier.
"AirAsia Japan will be a success as the Japanese market possesses the necessary ingredients for growth, such as the population's strong propensity to travel, its high per capita income, coupled with deep and significant internet penetration," said AirAsia.

The joint venture helps the company to penetrate Japan's "highly lucrative domestic travel market", it added.
"This new joint venture is an important milestone in AirAsia's growth as ANA is the very first airline partner to form a joint venture with AirAsia," said Tony Fernandes, group CEO of AirAsia.
AirAsia has announced plans to set up joint ventures in the Philippines and Vietnam, where services are expected to begin at the end of the year.

Southeast Asia's largest budget airline AirAsia looks set for a major share swap with Malaysian Airlines in a deal to help save the struggling national flag carrier, reports said Sunday.
© 2011 AFP