Skymark: A former A380 customer revisits larger aircraft

On February 17, 2011, Skymark signed a big deal. The Japanese airline has ordered four Airbus A380s. After a few months it increased to six copies. with the She wanted to fly a giant plane to Europe and the USA.

It is no longer delivered. Skymark Airlines ran into financial difficulties soon after placing the order and had to Filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Integral Corporation and ANA All Nippon Airways for the financial investor stepped in and saved the airline from collapse with fresh capital. They are also the largest contributors today at 50.1% and 16.5%.

Reached the limits of growth

As a result, Skymark has scaled back its ambitions. In the process, it downsized its fleet, phasing out its seven Airbus A330s previously in domestic circles. Today it owns 29 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operating 23 routes in Japan.

But that’s not enough for Skymark anymore. “We are currently operating at full capacity with our 29 aircraft, so currently it is difficult to open new routes,” CEO Hayao Hora told the newspaper these days. Hokkaido Shimbun. One sees potential in the hub in Tokyo Haneda, but also in Fukuoka, Hokkaido and Kobe.

The best of both worlds

The goal is to renew the fleet by 2025. “We are also studying the possibility of using larger aircraft than we have now,” Hora said. However, the director did not become more specific.

The strategy, Hora made clear, is that you don’t want to be a low-cost airline, but you don’t want to be a traditional provider either. You want to combine the best of both worlds.