Air Do retires the Boeing 737-500.

On January 12th, AIRDO [HD/ADO] (d.b.a. Air Do) officially (but quietly) retired the Boeing 737-500. The last revenue flights were a round-trip from Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT] to Memanbetsu [MMB/RJCM] and back, operated by their ultimate aircraft 737-54K JA8595. It remained in the fleet as back-up equipment for three more days. The penultimate aircraft was 737-54K JA300K, which was retired on January 4th. Their 737-500s seated 126.

Boeing 737-54K JA8595 became the last remaining example. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

Flight HD077 departed Haneda at 1115 JST and arrived at Memanbetsu at 1255, and return leg HD078 left the northeastern Hokkaido city at 1339 and arrived back at Tokyo's downtown airport at 1535. No farewell ceremonies were held, and Air Do has said the aircraft remaining as a back-up equipment as the reason not having any. However, all 737-500s, including this airframe, are being returned to service with All Nippon Airways' [NH/ANA] commuter arm ANA Wings [EH/AKX], subsidiary of Air Do's 14% shareholder ANA Holdings, and they likely preferred to avoid embarrassing its de facto parent.

Boeing 737-54K JA305K Bear Do Dream was retired on November 30th, 2014. (Photo: Air Do)

The 737 Classics are being replaced by Next-Generation 737s supplied by ANA. In December, the Hokkaido-based airline took delivery of their eighth 737-700 on lease from ANA, and the ninth is due from the same source shortly. 737-781(WL) JA16AN became Air Do's eighth of the type, while 737-781(WL) JA14AN will become their ninth. The newer 737-700s seat 144. The longer-range capability of the replacements is allowing Air Do to experiment with international charters (Air Do loads first international charter to Taipei.).

Boeing 737-54K JA8196 Bear Do was retired on March 14th, 2014. (Photo: Air Do)

The 737-500 entered service with Air Do on January 31st, 2008. Two special liveries adorned the type; 737-54K JA8196 Bear Do and 737-54K JA305K Bear Do Dream. They were retired on March 14th, 2014 (Air Do retires 'Bear Do'; five Boeing 737-500s remain.) and November 30th, 2014 (Air Do bids farewell to Bear Do Dream.), respectively. This completes their fleet transition program which started in October 2012. Air Do's fleet is now comprised of two 767-300ERs, two 767-300s, and eight 737-700s, with their ninth joining shortly.

Source: Air Do @ Facebook.
Source: Aviation Wire, 2016 January 9th. (in Japanese)

Air Do launches Hiroshima and Nagoya.

On October 25th, AIRDO [HD/ADO] (d.b.a. Air Do) launched daily Hakodate [HKD/RJCH] – Nagoya/Chubu Centrair [NGO/RJGG], daily Sapporo/New Chitose [CTS/RJCC] – Hiroshima [HIJ/RJOA], and three-times-daily New Chitose – Chubu Centrair (Air Do is coming to Hiroshima and Nagoya.) utilizing 144-seat Boeing 737-700s. Hiroshima becomes the Hokkaido carrier's westernmost destination.

Boeing 737-781(WL) JA11AN takes off from Hiroshima for the inaugural service to New Chitose. All of Air Do's 737s along with two 767s have been supplied by strategic partner ANA. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

Flight HD115, the inaugural service from Hiroshima to New Chitose, departed one minute ahead of schedule at 0849 JST carrying 96 passengers including two children. It was flown by 737-781(WL) JA11AN, which had been ferried from Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT] the night before. Meanwhile, the first service from Hokkaido as HD118 left New Chitose at 1840 with a load of 134 passengers.

Flight Schedule:
New Chitose – Hiroshima NEW 1 daily with 737-700.
HD118 CTS 1840 – 2055 HIJ 73W Daily
HD115 HIJ 0850 – 1040 CTS 73W Daily

New Chitose – Chubu Centrair NEW 3 daily with 737-700.
HD130 CTS 0800 – 0955 NGO 73W Daily
HD132 CTS 1040 – 1235 NGO 73W Daily
HD136 CTS 1515 – 1710 NGO 73W Daily
HD133 NGO 1305 – 1445 CTS 73W Daily
HD135 NGO 1450 – 1630 CTS 73W Daily
HD137 NGO 1740 – 1920 CTS 73W Daily

Hakodate – Chubu Centrair NEW 1 daily with 737-700.
HD128 HKD 1230 – 1410 NGO 73W Daily
HD127 NGO 1035 – 1200 HKD 73W Daily

Although the three routes are new on paper, this is essentially a transfer from All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA], whose parent ANA Holdings directly controls 13.61% of Air Do and holds roughly 46% when combined with the shares owned by Development Bank of Japan (DBJ), a strong financial partner of ANA. Effective the same day, ANA axed its daily New Chitose – Hiroshima and Hakodate – Chubu Centrair routes and reduced New Chitose – Chubu Centrair from six daily to four daily, while putting its code on all of Air Do's new services and buying approximately 40% of its seats (ANA axes Oshima and transfers two routes to Air Do.).

Source: Aviation Wire, 2015 October 25th. (in Japanese)

ANA axes Oshima and transfers two routes to Air Do.

On August 19th, All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA] announced that they will cancel their daily Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT] – Oshima [OIM/RJTO] service effective October 25th, the beginning of the Winter 2015/2016 schedule. It will also transfer Hakodate [HKD/RJCH] – Nagoya/Chubu Centrair [NGO/RJGG] and Sapporo/New Chitose [CTS/RJCC] – Hiroshima [HIJ/RJOA], both flown once daily, to AIRDO [HD/ADO] (d.b.a. Air Do).

Boeing 737-781(WL) JA18AN prepares for takeoff from New Chitose near Sapporo. Two more 737-700s will be transferred to Air Do, while the Hokkaido carrier's remaining two 737-500s will be returned to ANA. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

ANA has served Oshima, an island governed by Tokyo and located only 94 kilometers (58 miles) from Haneda, since 1955. After the 56-seat Bombardier DHC-8-300Q was retired on March 30th, 2014 (ANA quietly retires the Bombardier DHC-8-300Q), Japan's largest carrier had been deploying 120-seat (eight Premium Class and 112 economy) Boeing 737-700, since then the smallest aircraft in their fleet. However, the up-gauge resulted in an unsustainable load factor of just 14.1% for FY2014, and 10.4% for the recent six months. ANA's withdrawal will leave New Central Airservice [CUK] as the sole airline serving Oshima, from Tokyo/Chofu [RJTF] using 19-seat Dornier Do 228s (New Central Airservice receives 2nd Dornier 228NG.).

Meanwhile, the two Hokkaido routes had been announced earlier by Air Do as new routes, along with new three-times-daily New Chitose – Chubu Centrair (Air Do is coming to Hiroshima and Nagoya.). ANA is also cutting two of its six round-trips on the latter link. This announcement had been expected, as ANA Holdings, parent of ANA, holds 13.61% of Air Do, and implements code-sharing and joint ticket sales throughout its network, joint fuel purchases, joint crew training, and coordinates flights to complement that of ANA's. When Air Do cannot make a route work, it is transferred back to ANA (ANA takes over Air Do's unprofitable secondary routes.). 

Together with ANA partner Development Bank of Japan's (DBJ) 32.49% share, ANA virtually controls 46.1% of the Hokkaido-based start-up that originally challenged the legacy carriers. Air Do has adopted ANA's reservation system, giving its former rival access to all of their operational and financial data, and hence helping to relegate themselves to a feeder carrier for Japan's largest airline. ANA is trying to replicate this with Skymark Airlines [BC/SKY] (Bye-bye Skymark, Hello ANA Airbus A380?), as it did with Skynet Asia Airways [6J/SNJ] (d.b.a. Solaseed Air) and Star Flyer [7G/SFJ] as well.

Source: All Nippon Airways, 2015 August 19th. (in Japanese)
Source: All Nippon Airways, 2015 August 19th. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, August 20th. (in Japanese)

Air Do is coming to Hiroshima and Nagoya.

On July 21st, AIRDO [HD/ADO] (d.b.a. Air Do) announced that they will launch three new routes on October 25th; daily Hakodate [HKD/RJCH] – Nagoya/Chubu Centrair [NGO/RJGG], daily Sapporo/New Chitose [CTS/RJCC] – Hiroshima [HIJ/RJOA], and three-times-daily New Chitose – Chubu Centrair. It would be the first time the Hokkaido-based carrier flies into Hiroshima and Nagoya. Both 144-seat Boeing 737-700s and 126-seat 737-500s will be deployed. Details of the schedule will be revealed in late August.

Boeing 737-781(WL) JA07AN is one of six in Air Do's fleet. All 737s (along with two 767-300s) are supplied by ANA, and another 737-700 will be transferred in exchange for Air Do returning its two remaining 737-500s to ANA in January 2016. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

Air Do's current destinations west of Tokyo are Kobe [UKB/RJBE] and Okayama [OKJ/RJOB], both served from New Chitose, twice daily and once daily, respectively. The routes were virtually transferred from minority shareholder and strategic partner All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA], subsidiary of ANA Holdings, which controls 14% of the Sapporo-headquartered niche airline. Together with the 32% held by ANA's long-time financial partner Development Bank of Japan, the mega-carrier virtually controls 46%.

At present, New Chitose – Chubu Centrair sees ANA flying seven daily round-trips and Japan Airlines [JL/JAL] 5.5 (11 legs), while Skymark Airlines [BC/SKY] and LCC Jetstar Japan [GK/JJP] each operate twice daily. New Chitose – Hiroshima is served by ANA and JAL with one daily round-trip each, while Hakodate – Chubu Centrair is flown only by ANA with two daily round-trips. Air Do code-shares with ANA throughout its network and closely coordinates flights. As with previously-launched new routes, it will likely coincide with ANA's reduction of a similar number of frequencies on the routes. 

Source: AIRDO, 2015 July 21st. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, 2015 July 21st. (in Japanese)

ANA takes over Air Do's unprofitable secondary routes.

AIRDO [HD/ADO] (d.b.a. Air Do) will be withdrawing from four regional domestic routes from Sapporo/New Chitose [CTS/RJCC] effective March 29th, the beginning of the Summer 2015 timetable, and partner All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA] will fill in. From the capital of Hokkaido, Air Do currently operates twice daily to Fukushima [FKS/RJSF] and Niigata [KIJ/RJSN], and a daily round-trip each to Komatsu [KMQ/RJNK] and Toyama [TOY/RJNT], but all will be reduced to a single ANA round-trip on each route.

Boeing 767-33A/ER JA01HD started life with Belgian start-up CityBird in February 1998 before joining Air Do in April 2000. Unlike the 737-500s, which will be retired by January 2016, all four 767s will be repainted into their latest livery by June this year. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

New Chitose – Fukushima will be flown by 176-seat (all economy) Boeing 737-800s, Komatsu and Toyama routes by 166/167-seat (8 Premium Class and 158/159 economy) 737-800s, and the Niigata link by 74-seat Bombardier DHC-8-400Qs of ANA Holdings' commuter subsidiary ANA Wings [EH/AKX].

Flight Schedule: 
New Chitose – Fukushima NEW 1 daily with 737-800. (Mar/29 - Oct/24)
NH1114 CTS 1645 – 1800 FKS 73H Daily
NH1113 FKS 0950 – 1110 CTS 73H Daily

New Chitose – Komatsu NEW 1 daily with 737-800. (Mar/29 - Oct/24)
NH1174 CTS 1355 – 1530 KMQ 73H Daily
NH1173 KMQ 1140 – 1310 CTS 73H Daily 

New Chitose – Niigata up to 2 daily with DHC-8-400Q. (Mar/29 - Oct/24)
NH1858/EH1858 CTS 1230 – 1350 KIJ DH4 Daily *Existing service. ANA Wings.
NH1860/EH1860 CTS 1600 – 1710 KIJ DH4 Daily *Jun/1 - Sep/30. ANA Wings.
NH1857/EH1857 KIJ 0740 – 0900 CTS DH4 Daily *Existing service. ANA Wings.
NH1859/EH1859 KIJ 1120 – 1235 CTS DH4 Daily *Jun/1 - Sep/30. ANA Wings.

New Chitose – Toyama NEW 1 daily with 737-800. (Mar/29 - Oct/24)
NH1182 CTS 1340 – 1510 TOY 73H Daily
NH1181 TOY 1140 – 1305 CTS 73H Daily

ANA withdrew from the Fukushima, Komatsu, and Toyama routes in November 2009, virtually transferring them to lower-cost Air Do, which is 14% owned by ANA Holdings, parent of Japan's largest carrier. Instead ANA put its code on these three routes, like with all other Air Do flights. However, due to weak demand, they are ironically being transferred back to ANA. For the New Chitose – Niigata route, ANA Wings has operated a single round-trip alongside Air Do's double-daily flights, but with no aircraft up-gauge after Air Do's suspension, it translates to a 77% capacity cut. A seasonal second flight has been loaded between June 1st and September 30th.

Boeing 737-881(WL) JA65AN taxies for departure from New Chitose Airport near Sapporo. ANA Group's Boeing narrow-body fleet is comprised of 30 737-800s, two 737-700ERs, 12 737-700s, and 17 737-500s, with six more 737-800s on order. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

Meanwhile, the only increase by Air Do for the Summer 2015 timetable is an addition of two more round-trips on the New Chitose – Sendai [SDJ/RJSS] route; hence the fleet is being reduced by one aircraft, with the return of a 126-seat 737-500 to ANA in April. Their seventh 144-seat 737-700 will arrive from ANA in September, and the two remaining 737-500s will be retired by January 2016.

Air Do's axing of these secondary routes leaves the Hokkaido-based carrier with only Kobe [UKB/RJBE], Okayama [OKJ/RJOB], Sendai, and Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT] from New Chitose. On the other hand, they seem to be faring better with their secondary Hokkaido routes from Haneda to Asahikawa [AKJ/RJEC], Hakodate [HKD/RJCH], Kushiro [KUH/RJCK], Memambetsu [MMB/RJCM], and Obihiro [OBO/RJCB]. It may translate to the reality that even though Air Do may be lower-cost than ANA or JAL, it is still not easy to make both ends meet with rural routes from cities other than Tokyo.

Source: Air Do, January 21st. (in Japanese)
Source: All Nippon Airways, January 21st. (in Japanese) 
Source: Aviation Wire, January 23rd. (in Japanese)

Air Do bids farewell to Bear Do Dream.

AIRDO [HD/ADO] (d.b.a. Air Do), as planned (Air Do to retire Bear Do Dream on November 30th.), retired its last specially-themed aircraft, Boeing 737-54K JA305K Bear Do Dream, on November 30th after it operated flight HD028, service from Sapporo/New Chitose [CTS/RJCC] to Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT].

Boeing 737-54K JA305K Bear Do Dream takes off. (Photo: Norio Hasegawa/Air Do)

The final flight into the company's homeland of Hokkaido was HD025, service from Haneda, which carried 124 passengers. The return leg to Tokyo became the ultimate flight, which carried a full load of 126 passengers and departed at 1609 JST, nine minutes behind published time. Air Do's mascot Bear Do was present at the gate to shake passengers' hands and all on board received a last flight certificate along with memorabilia. 

Bear Do Dream inaugurated service on March 24th, 2011 as the Hokkaido carrier's second special livery airplane after Boeing 737-54K JA8196 Bear Do, which entered service on April 6th, 2009 and was retired on March 14th earlier this year (Air Do retires 'Bear Do'; five Boeing 737-500s remain.). The aircraft flew approximately 630,000 passengers over three years and eight months until its retirement today. Manufactured on September 21st, 1998, it was originally delivered to then-All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA] subsidiary Air Nippon [EL/ANK]. After a maintenance check and repaint, it will return to service with ANA Wings [EH/AKX].

Air Do's narrow-body fleet is currently transitioning from 126-seat 737-500s to 144-seat 737-700s, both supplied from ANA, subsidiary of ANA Holdings, which controls 14% of the Hokkaido-based carrier. Bear Do Dream's departure will leave the fleet with two 767-300ERs, two 767-300s, six 737-700s, and three 737-500s, with the remaining trio of 'Classic' Baby Boeings slated for replacement by an identical number of 737-700s by January 2016.

Source: Aviation Wire, November 30th. (in Japanese)

Air Do to retire Bear Do Dream on November 30th.

AIRDO [HD/ADO] (d.b.a. Air Do) will retire its last special livery aircraft, Boeing 737-54K JA305K Bear Do Dream, on November 30th. The last revenue flight is currently planned to be HD028, service from Sapporo/New Chitose [CTS/RJCC] to Tokyo/Haneda [HND/RJTT] that will depart at 1600 JST. 

Boeing 737-54K JA305K Bear Do Dream arrives at Sendai. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

Bear Do Dream inaugurated service on March 24th, 2011 as the Hokkaido airline's second special-themed airplane after Boeing 737-54K JA8196 Bear Do, which entered service on April 6th, 2009, and was retired on March 14th this year (Air Do retires 'Bear Do'; five Boeing 737-500s remain.). After retirement, it is expected to be returned to lessor All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) and re-enter service with subsidiary ANA Wings [EH/AKX].

Air Do has released the schedule of Bear Do Dream for its last three days of operations, where it will make its last appearance at Fukushima [FKS/RJSF], Kushiro [KUH/RJCK], and Toyama [TOY/RJNT] before its ultimate flight.

Bear Do Dream Flight Schedule for November 28th:
HD112 CTS 0830 – 0955 FKS
HD113 FKS 1025 – 1145 CTS
HD120 CTS 1215 – 1350 TOY
HD121 TOY 1420 – 1550 CTS
HD114 CTS 1625 – 1750 FKS
HD115 FKS 1820 – 1940 CTS
HD036 CTS 2010 – 2150 HND

Bear Do Dream Flight Schedule for November 29th and 30th:
HD071 HND 0745 – 0920 KUH
HD072 KUH 0950 – 1140 HND
HD025 HND 1350 – 1525 CTS
HD028 CTS 1600 – 1740 HND

Air Do's narrowbody fleet is currently transitioning from 126-seat 737-500s to 144-seat 737-700s, both supplied from ANA, subsidiary of ANA Holdings, which controls 14% of the Hokkaido-based carrier. Bear Do Dream's departure will leave the fleet with two 767-300ERs, two 767-300s, six 737-700s, and three 737-500s, with the remaining trio of 'Classic' Baby Boeings slated for replacement by an identical number of 737-700s by January 2016.

Reference: AIRDO @ Facebook. (in Japanese)

Air Do loads first international charter to Taipei.

AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) will operate its first ever international services on November 20th and 24th with round-trip Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC) – Taipei/Taoyuan (TPE/RCTP) charters, as previously reported in May (Air Do plans Sapporo – Taipei charters in November.). 144-seat Boeing 737-700s will be assigned. The airline was originally founded as Hokkaido International Airlines in November 1996 with the aim of connecting the northernmost island of Japan with regional Asian countries, but changed its name to simply AIRDO effective October 2012.

Boeing 737-781(WL) JA15AN arrives at Air Do's New Chitose hub. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

JTB, Japan's largest travel agency, and Nippon Travel Agency will sell the flights as part of a five-day package tour to visit Taipei from Hokkaido and vice versa. Prices start from 69,800 JPY including fuel surcharge for adults. Tickets cannot be purchased without participating in one of the tours. Air Do plans to hand out their Bear Do mascot stuffed animal along with onion soup packages and flight certificates to the passengers.

Flight Schedule:
New Chitose – Taipei/Taoyuan one-time charter with B737-700.
HD9252 CTS 0825 – 1200 TPE 73W *Nov/20 only.
HD9252 CTS 1315 – 1650 TPE 73W *Nov/24 only.
HD9253 TPE 1300 – 1800 CTS 73W *Nov/20 only. 
HD9253 TPE 1750 – 2250 CTS 73W *Nov/24 only.

Obihiro (OBO/RJCB) in central Hokkaido was also considered, along with cities in Taiwan other than Taipei as well, however, Air Do chose a low-risk route as it had no experience in the overseas market. Domestic-only Obihiro would have required arrangements for a makeshift CIQ facility, while airports of Taiwan other than Taipei don't have ground handling support from partner All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA). ANA Holdings, parent of ANA, has a minority 14% stake in Air Do.

Air Do is evaluating additional regional international charters from Hokkaido for 2015 and beyond, and hopes to have some upgraded to scheduled services before the Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics in 2020. However, established carriers already operate several daily flights into Hokkaido from neighboring Asian countries. Mid-sized carriers like TransAsia Airways (GE/TNA), which now serves three Hokkaido cities from Taipei, have also grown presence, while LCCs such as Hong Kong Express Airways (UO/HKE) (d.b.a. HK Express), Spring Airlines (9C/CQH) (starting New Chitose in December), Tigerair Taiwan (IT/TTW), and V Air are all looking for opportunities. With regional Asian routes generally said to be better suited for LCCs, how will Air Do make it work?

Reference: Aviation Wire, October 17th. (in Japanese)

Air Do celebrates 20 million passengers.

AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) carried the 20 millionth passenger on July 9th. A family on board flight HD016, service from Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC) to Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT), became the privileged guest, receiving a Bear Do stuffed doll and an Air Do model airplane, along with memorabilia signed by the staff.

Boeing 737-54K JA300K takes off from Haneda. All remaining 737-500s will be withdrawn from service by January 2016, replaced by 737-700s sourced from minority-owner ANA. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

The Sapporo-based carrier reached the milestone 15 years and seven months after launching operations on December 20th, 1998 with three round-trips between Haneda and New Chitose. They surpassed 5 million passengers on August 1st, 2005 and 10 million on November 12th, 2008. As part of the campaign, 20 million points will be given away for splitting between members of the My AIRDO frequent-flyer program (FFP), depending on the number of times flown between September 1st and November 30th.

Air Do was a child of Japan's deregulation, along with Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY) and Skynet Asia Airways (LQ/SNJ) (now operating as Solaseed Air). It was one of the first to try adopting the LCC model with no use of jet-bridges and eliminating most in-flight services. Although targeting 50% lower fares than All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA), Japan Air System (JD/JAS), or Japan Airlines (JL/JAL), the difference became 20-30% after higher-than-expected start-up costs, outsourcing of ground handling to JAL, as well as contracting JAL for aviation expertise.

Air Do celebrated 20 million passengers at the gate at Sapporo's New Chitose. (Photo: Air Do)

However, its reservations system was notoriously inconvenient, as tickets could only be booked through their call center and payment was only accepted at their office or the airport, and whenever the airline ran promotional fares, the call center couldn't handle enough calls. No FFP was offered, no package tours were offered (critical in Japan), and coupled with the three major carriers slashing fares, Air Do's load factors were around 40-60% for 1999. In a controversial bid to lure cigarette lovers, Air Do introduced smoking seats in December 2000, however, it lasted less than two months. In June 2002, it filed for bankruptcy protection.

A comprehensive partnership was signed with ANA in February 2003, which led the restructuring (and transformation) of Air Do into a feeder carrier for ANA. Now owned 14% by ANA Holdings, Air Do flies two Boeing 767-300ERs, two 767-300s, five 737-700s, and four 737-500s connecting Haneda with Sapporo as well as secondary cities of Hokkaido, and Sapporo with secondary cities mostly in east Japan.

Reference: Air Do, July 9th. (in Japanese)
Reference: Air Do @ Facebook (in Japanese)
Reference: Aviation Wire, July 10th. (in Japanese)

Air Do plans Sapporo – Taipei charters in November.

AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) will launch its long-awaited international flights this autumn, starting with charter flights between Hokkaido and Taiwan. Two Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC) – Taipei/Taoyuan (TPE/RCTP) round-trips to be flown with 144-seat Boeing 737-700s are currently planned for November. The Hokkaido-based carrier will use local travel agencies at both destinations to fill the flights.

Boeing 767-33A/ER JA98AD lands at Haneda. Although having flown only domestic, the 'Extended Range' version was acquired with international ambitions in mind. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

Obihiro (OBO/RJCB) in central Hokkaido was also considered, along with other cities in Taiwan as well, however, having no experience in the overseas market, Air Do chose a low-risk route. Being a domestic airport, Obihiro would require arrangements for a makeshift CIQ facility, while airports of Taiwan other than in Taipei don't have ground handling support from partner All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA). ANA Holdings, parent of ANA, has a minority 14% stake in Air Do.

Air Do is evaluating additional regional international routes for 2015 and beyond, and hopes to have scheduled international services from Hokkaido before the Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics in 2020. However, with LCCs gaining a foothold in regional Asian routes, which are generally better suited for LCCs rather than full-service carriers, will Air Do's foray into the international market work?

Source: Hokkaido Shimbun, May 20th. (in Japanese)

Air Do retires 'Bear Do'; five Boeing 737-500s remain.

AIRDO's (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) first special-theme aircraft Boeing 737-54K JA8196 'Bear Do' (yes, it rhymes) flew its last revenue service today on March 14th with HD024, from Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC) to Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT). Carrying 121 passengers, who received 'Bear Do' memorabilia and a last flight certificate upon boarding, the flight departed New Chitose at 1406 and arrived at Haneda at 1548, local time.

Boeing 737-54K JA8196 'Bear Do' arrives at Haneda. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

JA8196 was originally delivered to All Nippon Airways' (NH/ANA) now-defunct subsidiary Air Nippon (EL/ANK) new from the manufacturer on October 23rd, 1996, and was leased to Air Do in March 2009. It was painted in the 'Bear Do' livery from the beginning and entered service on April 2nd, 2009. Since then, the 126-seat B737-500 has accumulated a total of 9924 flights connecting Hokkaido with other cities in Japan. Now, JA8196 will be returned to ANA Holdings and is expected to return to service with ANA Wings (EH/AKX). Its replacement, B737-781(WL) JA08AN (Air Do receives fifth Boeing 737-700.), entered service on March 10th.

Air Do's mascot 'Bear Do' was present at the gate. (Photo: Air Do)

In 2012, Air Do started receiving larger 144-seat B737-700s, which they claim are about 10% more fuel efficient than the B737-500s on their sectors. Leased from 14% owner ANA Holdings, the B737-700 fleet will eventually grow to nine to replace the remaining five B737-500s, excluding 'Bear Do', by January 2016. The Hokkaido-based airline is also evaluating the larger B737-900/800 for acquisition in fiscal year 2015.

Most B737-500s with ANA are staying for a few years more, as to-be-successor Mitsubishi Regional Jet's (MRJ) first delivery has now been pushed back to the second quarter of 2017.

Source: Air Do @ Facebook (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, March 14th. (in Japanese)

Air Do receives fifth Boeing 737-700.

AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) has received its fifth Next-Generation Boeing 737, a B737-781 transferred from All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) registered JA08AN.

Sister-ship Boeing 737-781 JA11AN climbs away from Tokyo's Haneda Airport. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

The aircraft was ferried to Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) as flight NH9416 on February 18th after maintenance and re-painting at Taipei/Taoyuan (TPE/RCTP). It is expected to replace B737-54K JA8196, the first 'Bear Do', which is expected to be returned to ANA in March. Air Do will gradually take delivery of additional 144-seat B737-700s on lease from ANA to replace its remaining six 126-seat B737-500s (including JA8196) by January 2016.

Heavy snowfall in Tokyo disrupts flights all over Japan again.

From the afternoon of February 14th until the next morning, Tokyo received its second heavy snowfall in a week, two weekends in a row, virtually closing down the capital's Haneda Airport (HND/RJTT) again.

For domestic flights, All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) canceled 40 and Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) canceled 75 on February 14th, affecting 5,300 and 11,575 customers, respectively. On the following day today, in the morning ANA had already decided to cancel 245 domestic flights and five of Haneda's international flights, affecting 49,140 passengers, while JAL decided to cancel 280 domestic flights and a Haneda - Shanghai/Hongqiao (SHA/ZSSS) round-trip, affecting 42,541 travelers. Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY), Star Flyer (7G/SFJ), and AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) all warned passengers to check the latest departure information.

Again, Kanto, or the Greater Tokyo region, is not used to snow. 24-hour stand-by snow plowing, practiced in snowy Aomori and Hokkaido, is too costly to be justified for a large airport like Haneda that usually only gets once or twice of trivial snow accumulation in a year.

Source: Aviation Wire, February 15th. (in Japanese)

Heavy snowfall in Greater Tokyo disrupts flights nationwide.

The Kanto (Greater Tokyo) region's heaviest snowfall in 45 years disrupted operations at the nation's busiest airport in Haneda (HND/RJTT) on February 8th, and it continued on to the following day today as airlines struggled to reposition their aircraft and crews. It had a ripple effect to essentially all airports in Japan, as most main-line aircraft are based at Haneda.

Yesterday, Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) and its group carriers together canceled 304 domestic and three international flights, affecting approximately 52,000 and 470 passengers, respectively, while All Nippon Airways' (NH/ANA) group canceled 274 domestic and two international flights, affecting 46,300 and 300 passengers, respectively. Several other flights suffered lengthy delays or were diverted to other airports. Today on February 9th, JAL canceled 206 domestic and 37 international flights, affecting 41,009 passengers, while ANA canceled 101 domestic flights, affecting about 15,000 people. Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY) canceled 50 flights yesterday and another 30 today. Star Flyer (7G/SFJ) and AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) among others all reported cancellations and warned travelers of potential delays. Jetstar Japan (GK/JJP) canceled 34 flights on February 9th, affecting 5899 people.

Tokyo saw 27 centimeters of snow, a record in 45 years, while neighboring Chiba reported 33 centimeters, an all-time record. Ishinomaki, near Sendai in the northeast, recorded 38 centimeters, its heaviest in 91 years. Unlike the snowy prefectures of Aomori, Hokkaido, or northwestern Japan, Kanto along with east Japan are not used to life with snow; infrastructure is vulnerable against snow and stand-by snow-plowing equipment are minimal.

Source: Aviation Wire, February 10th. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, February 9th. (in Japanese) 

*Post edited/updated on February 10th.

Air Do is evaluating the Boeing 737-900/800.

Hokkaido-based AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a Air Do) is reportedly evaluating the acquisition of Boeing 737-900s or -800s. An initial fleet of two will be inducted in fiscal year 2015. The carrier currently leases four 144-seat B737-700s from All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA), with two more coming this year, but are reportedly in need of an aircraft seating around 170 to 190.

Boeing 737-781(WL) JA11AN at Haneda. All B737s are leased from ANA. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

A replacement for its B767 fleet will be decided by 2017, which will be either B787s or B777s. These will most likely come secondhand from 14% owner ANA Holdings. Meanwhile, Air Do will refurbish its two 270-seat B767-381s leased from ANA (JA8359 & JA601A) with an all-economy 288-seat configuration by summer.

Source: Hokkaido Shimbun (in Japanese)

Air Do Boeing 767 suffers ground accident.

Early in the morning of January 20th, around 0245 local time, AIRDO's (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) Boeing 767-381 JA601A was involved in an accident on the tarmac at Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) when a ground-handling vehicle came in contact with the aircraft. According to the airline, the B767 suffered a 60 x 60 cm hole plus some cracks on the lower part of the aft fuselage.

Due to the accident, Air Do has canceled around four to eight flights a day since that date. Passengers with tickets are being reassigned to other flights, as well as Air Do's own extra flights. The Hokkaido-based carrier originally announced it would take at least 10 days to repair, but now it seems they aren't sure how long it will take. Air Do's fleet currently consists of two B767-300ERs, two B767-300s (including JA601A), four B737-700s, and six B737-500s.

Source: Air Do (PDF; in Japanese)

Holiday season load factors; LCCs nearly 90%.

Japanese carriers have released this winter holiday season's (December 20th - January 5th) load factors (L/F). Helped by a new year that came on Wednesday, many were off from work for nine days which led to more people traveling, and resulted in higher load factors for most carriers compared to last year. Low-cost carriers (LCCs) Jetstar Japan (GK/JJP), Peach Aviation (MM/APJ), and Vanilla Air (JW/VNL) stand out with around 90%.

International routes: ANA Group 79.2%, JAL Group 82.9%, Peach Aviation 87.8%, Star Flyer (7G/SFJ) 72.2%, and Vanilla Air 95.1%.
 
Domestic routes: ANA Group 69.1%, JAL Group 71.3%, AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) 76.6%, Jetstar Japan 88.3%, Peach Aviation 87.5%, Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY) 68.2%, Skynet Asia Airways (d.b.a. Solaseed Air) (6J/SNJ) 69.4%, Star Flyer 81.1%, and Vanilla Air 87.8%.

Source: Aviation Wire (in Japanese only)

Air Do announces FY2013-2016 plans.

AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) announced its business strategy for fiscal years 2013-2016. Next fiscal year 2014 will see the Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC)-based carrier launch its first international services with charter flights to South Korea and Taiwan from New Chitose and possibly Obihiro (OBO/RJCB) as well, to be followed by additional domestic destinations from the Hokkaido capital in 2015. By fiscal year 2016, they aim to bring up revenue to 60 billion JPY and produce an operating profit of 2.9 billion JPY, for a 4.8% net margin.

Boeing 737-54K JA305K in BearDo special livery at Sendai. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

Air Do currently operates two Boeing 767-300ERs, two B767-300s, four B737-700s, and six B737-500s. Plans call for the return of one B767 to its lessor in 2016, but will replace with another aircraft, probably on lease from 14% owner ANA Holdings like with its B737-700s. 2020 will see the retirement of its B767s and the replacement will be decided in 2016, which may possibly be early machines of ANA's B787-8s. In January 2016, Air Do will retire its last B737-500 after its ninth B737-700 is transferred from ANA. 

Source: Air Do (PDF; in Japanese)