ANA is reportedly set to defer deliveries of both the Boeing 777X and its remaining Airbus A380 order. The airline today revealed a new business model aimed at coping with the challenges created by the aviation industry’s current climate.
Many airlines have been seeking to delay the delivery of their aircraft as a result. One example is JetBlue, who today revealed that it has agreed to a second delivery deferral with Airbus. Deferrals save airlines cash in the short term, as most aircraft’s cost becomes due upon the aircraft’s delivery.
Airbus A380 delay
According to the Japanese language Aviation Wire, All Nippon Airways now won’t take its final Airbus A380 for another year. The aircraft’s delivery had already been delayed by half a year to October. There had been hopes that the aircraft would be delivered before the end of the month following a recent customer acceptance flight. If the aircraft is indeed not delivered for another year, it will be two years old when ANA accepts it.
Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest.
Delaying the delivery of the Airbus A380 makes sense from a practical point of view. ANA currently has two Airbus A380 aircraft. Like most A380s around the world, both are now grounded due to the current situation. It generally doesn’t make sense to take delivery of a new aircraft to park it straight away.
All Nippon Airways is unique in its application of the giant of the skies. While most airlines fly their Airbus A380s on various routes, this is not the case with the Japanese carrier. These Airbus A380s will only fly between Tokyo and Honolulu except for a handful of flights to nowhere. All Nippon Airways’ Airbus A380 aircraft each have an individual turtle themed livery in a different color.
What about the Boeing 777X
Aviation Wire also reported that the Japanese airline would experience a delay to its first Boeing 777X deliveries. The first ANA 777X was due to be delivered in March next year. However, it’s not a huge surprise that this delivery has been delayed. After all, Boeing doesn’t expect to deliver its first aircraft from the program until 2022 at the earliest. This is due to delays in the program.
According to the previously mentioned publication, the deferral is for around two years, meaning that the first Boeing 777Xs in All Nippon’s colors could be delivered around March 2023. ANA has 20 Boeing 777-9s on order.
Commenting on the delays, the President of the ANA Holding Group, Shinya Katanozaka, said,
“We have almost made adjustments with the aircraft manufacturer by delaying the receipt, and we are moving back in order on a scale of about two years.”
Do you think ANA is right to delay these deliveries for so long? Let us know what you think and why in the comments.
