Japan's Largest Airline Bets Big on Newly Axed Airbus A380
- Carrier says demand strong enough to fill 520-seat planes
- ANA to challenge rival JAL on flights to islands, CEO says
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Just as a tide of canceled orders has prompted Airbus SE to halt production of the A380 superjumbo, Japan’s biggest airline is betting it can succeed where others have failed -- by filling the luxurious double-deckers with tourists flying to Hawaii.
Starting May 24, ANA Holdings Inc. has scheduled three flights a week from Tokyo to Honolulu on the 520-seat behemoths, painted in a special sea-turtle theme. The carrier will bring on one more A380 for the Hawaii service in July and a third next year, ANA President Yuji Hirako said, adding that reservations for the route are already more than 40 percent higher than a year ago.