Japan's ANA taps Boeing, Airbus, Embraer in 77-jet order

By Rocky Swift and Nobuhiro Kubo

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's ANA Holdings said on Tuesday it planned to place a company-record order for up to 77 aircraft to replenish its fleet and take advantage of growing demand for travel.

The order was its largest ever in terms of aircraft numbers and was worth more than 2.1 trillion yen ($14 billion) at catalogue prices before any discounts, ANA said.

Aircraft are typically sold at roughly half their list price, aviation analysts say.

The deal includes 68 firm orders and nine options, potentially bringing the overall purchase to 30 aircraft from Boeing, 27 from Airbus, and 20 from Embraer.

The firm part of the order includes 18 GE-powered Boeing 787 wide-body jets and 15 Embraer E190-E2 regional aircraft. It also involves 27 Airbus A321neo-family narrowbodies and eight Boeing 737 MAX.

Delivery of the planes is expected between 2028 and 2033.

Growth in tourism to Japan has exploded in recent years, with annual visitors reaching record numbers. The airline said that its order reflected an expected increase in passenger demand, including from visitors to Japan.

"So looking at the growth of the overall market, we want to procure the necessary supply just as it's needed," Daisuke Suzuki, ANA's director of corporate strategy, told a briefing.

Suzuki said the Embraer aircraft would allow the airline to "flexibly adjust supply to demand in our medium to long-term domestic operations."

EMBRAER WIN

ANA's order marks a breakthrough in Japan for Brazil-based Embraer's most recent generation of E2 regional jets and a setback for Airbus, which has been trying to get a Japanese foothold for its A220.

Its current fleet does not include any aircraft from Embraer, the world's third-largest planemaker.

Embraer's focus is on up to 150-seat single-aisle aircraft, sitting just below Airbus' and Boeing's best-selling A320 and 737 narrowbody families, which carry between 150 and 240 passengers.

The deal also illustrates a turning point in Japan's efforts to promote its domestic regional aircraft industry.

ANA had ordered at least 15 of the made-in-Japan SpaceJet regional plane that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was developing, but the programme stalled in 2023 after delivery delays, in part due to difficulty obtaining necessary certifications.

ANA Holdings runs passenger and cargo carrier ANA, and low-cost airlines Peach Aviation and AirJapan. It operated 277 aircraft as of end-December and expects its fleet size to be at around 320 aircraft by the 2030 financial year.

In January, the company said it would increase the number of international flights in its 2025 fiscal year to meet growing demand, but would maintain last year's level of domestic flights.

($1 = 149.5900 yen)

(Reporting by Lisa Barrington, Rocky Swift and Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Rachna Uppal)