Ryukyu Air Commuter launches Q400 Cargo-Combi.

On September 30th, Ryukyu Air Commuter [RAC] disclosed that it will acquire five of the Bombardier DHC-8-400Q Dash 8 Cargo-Combi, becoming one of the new variant's launch customers. The contract was unidentified at the time of order at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2014. All five airframes will be delivered in combi configuration seating 50 passengers, with the first aircraft expected to arrive in December 2015, followed by crew training before entering service in April 2016.

A rendering of RAC's Bombardier DHC-8-400Q Dash 8 Cargo-Combi. (Image: Bombardier)

RAC currently operates a single 50-seat DHC-8-300Q alongside four 39-seat DHC-8-100Qs, and the new Q400s will replace these aircraft on a one-to-one basis. All five machines will be delivered by the end of FY2017. Based on list prices, the order is valued at approximately 168 million USD. "RAC shares a long history with Bombardier, collaborating together since 1997 when we first introduced Japan to the Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft. Since then, the Dash 8 has become the backbone of our efficient and productive operation," said Takashi Irei, RAC's President.

"Today we celebrate another first as we confirm that the Q400 Cargo-Combi aircraft is the ideal platform for our future fleet as we endeavor to offer comfort, reliability, and improved air transportation capabilities to our passengers, while supporting our local economies and communities with our extra cargo capability. Equipped with a new fleet, RAC looks forward to carrying many additional passengers as they enjoy travelling around Japan’s Okinawa islands,” Mr. Irei continued. RAC's Q400 Cargo-Combi will boast 23.4 cubic meters of cargo space, compared to 9.1 for the Q300 and 8.5 for the Q100.

Based at Okinawa/Naha [OKA/ROAH], RAC is a regional commuter airline connecting the remote islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago in southern Japan. It is 72.9% owned by JAL Group's Okinawan affiliate Japan Transocean Air [NU/JTA], 5.1% by the Government of Okinawa, and the remainder by local businesses.

Source: Bombardier, 2015 September 30th. (in English)
Source: Traicy, 2015 September 30th. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, 2015 September 30th. (in Japanese)

Amakusa Airlines' ATR42-600 arrives in Japan.

On August 21st, Amakusa Airlines' [AHX] brand-new ATR42-600 registered JA01AM arrived at Kumamoto [KMJ/RJFT] on delivery (Amakusa Airlines chooses ATR42-600.). The Amakusa [AXJ/RJDA]-based commuter airline will replace its sole 39-seat Bombardier DHC-8-103 JA81MX Mizoka with the new 48-seat aircraft, which becomes the first of the type to be operated in Japan. It had been delivered to Nordic Aviation Capital on lease to Amakusa Airlines on August 13th.

The eight on board the delivery flight pose in front of ATR42-600 JA01AM New Mizoka at Kumamoto upon completing the long journey. (Photo: Amakusa Airlines)

The long delivery flight started from Toulouse/Blagnac [TLS/LFBO] on August 16th, making stops at Paphos [PFO/LCPH], Bahrain [BAH/OBBI], Muscat [MCT/OOMS], Malé [MLE/VRMM], Colombo/Bandaranaike [CMB/VCBI], Bangkok/Don Mueang [DMK/VTBD], and Taipei/Taoyuan [TPE/RCTP], before arriving at Kumamoto on August 21st. As JA01AM approached the Kyushu airport, it performed a low-pass in front of a crowd of enthusiasts who gathered to welcome the new turboprop, before touching down on Runway 25. A total of eight officials including pilots from ATR and Amakusa staff were on board the delivery flight.

ATR42-600 JA01AM New Mizoka at Toulouse prior to delivery. (Photo: Amakusa Airlines)

The tiny single-aircraft airline currently flies Amakusa – Fukuoka [FUK/RJFF] three times daily and Amakusa – Kumamoto – Osaka/Itami [ITM/RJOO] daily, though the latter was suspended on August 23rd to allow its pilots to start transitioning to the ATR42. Crew training is expected to start by the end of August, and the brand-new aircraft is planned to enter service sometime in January 2016. The sole DHC-8 will be retired then, retaining a single-aircraft fleet.

Amakusa Airlines is owned 53.31% by Kumamoto Prefecture, 22.92% by the City of Amakusa, 2.73% by the City of Kamiamakusa, 1.2% by Reihoku Town, among others. The small niche airline code-shares with Japan Airlines [JL/JAL] on all flights (Amakusa Airlines announces code-share with JAL.) and outsources ground handling to its partner at all of its destinations except for Amakusa, its home base. JAL affiliate Japan Air Commuter [3X/JAC] will become the second ATR42 operator in Japan in 2017 when it starts to take delivery of eight ordered to replace its Saab SF340Bs (Japan Air Commuter orders up to 23 ATR42-600s.).

Source: Amakusa Airlines @ Facebook.
Source: Aviation Wire, 2015 August 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)

Amakusa Airlines announces code-share with JAL.

On February 3rd, Amakusa Airlines [AHX] announced that they would launch code-sharing with Japan Airlines [JL/JAL] on April 1st. Under the scheme, JAL will place its code on the regional community airline's entire network and all flights, which includes three times daily Amakusa [AXJ/RJDA] – Fukuoka [FUK/RJFF] and a daily Amakusa – Kumamoto [KMJ/RJFT] – Osaka/Itami [ITM/RJOO] routing.

Bombardier DHC-8-103 JA81MX, its entire fleet, wears a unique dolphin livery. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

Amakusa Airlines will take delivery of a brand-new ATR42-600 in January 2016 (Amakusa Airlines chooses ATR42-600.) to replace the current sole Bombardier DHC-8-103 JA81MX, which will be coming up for a 300-million JPY C check later in FY2015. The company concluded that that amount plus subsequent maintenance costs of the 14-year-old turboprop would outweigh the expenses of replacing it with a newer model.

However, while the current aircraft seats 39, the successor seats 48, and with the niche carrier having difficulties filling seats on the Dash 8 during off-peak months, it apparently turned to JAL to help with loads. The commuter airline of the Amakusa Islands outsources ground handling to JAL at all airports except for its home base at Amakusa, so the selection is obvious.

Amakusa Airlines is owned 53.31% by Kumamoto Prefecture, 22.92% by the City of Amakusa, 2.73% by the City of Kamiamakusa, 1.2% by Reihoku Town, among others, and operates a single DHC-8.

Source: Amakusa Airlines, February 3rd. (in Japanese)

ANA returns to Aomori with Osaka and Sapporo flights.

On July 1st, All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) resumed scheduled service at Aomori (AOJ/RJSA) with three daily round-trips to and from Osaka/Itami (ITM/RJOO) and two to and from Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC). Operated by subsidiary ANA Wings' (EH/AKX) 74-seat Bombardier DHC-8-400Qs, the flights mark the return of now Japan's largest airline by passenger volume to Honshu's northernmost airport after a 11-year hiatus.

Bombardier DHC-8-402Q JA845A arriving at Aomori from Sapporo's New Chitose as NH1853 on July 1st, the inaugural day. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

The inaugural flight out of Aomori, NH1852, service to Itami, was operated by DHC-8-402Q JA856A with a load of 73 passengers. The aircraft had been ferried in to Aomori the night before. Sistership JA853A became the first to arrive, as NH1851 from Itami, and was greeted by a water-cannon salute.

Flight schedule (July 1st - October 25th):
Osaka/Itami – Aomori NEW 3 daily with DHC-8-400Q. *Operated by ANA Wings.
NH1851 ITM 0815 – 1000 AOJ DH4 Daily
NH1853 ITM 1155 – 1340 AOJ DH4 Daily
NH1855 ITM 1910 – 2055 AOJ DH4 Daily
NH1852 AOJ 0805 – 1000 ITM DH4 Daily
NH1854 AOJ 1310 – 1505 ITM DH4 Daily
NH1856 AOJ 1740 – 1935 ITM DH4 Daily

Aomori – Sapporo/New Chitose NEW 2 daily with DHC-8-400Q. *Operated by ANA Wings.
NH1897 AOJ 1030 – 1120 CTS DH4 Daily
NH1899 AOJ 1510 – 1600 CTS DH4 Daily
NH1898 CTS 1150 – 1240 AOJ DH4 Daily
NH1900 CTS 1615 – 1705 AOJ DH4 Daily
 
A ceremony took place at Aomori Airport, attended by Aomori Prefecture Governor Shingo Mimura, Aomori City Governor Hiroshi Shikanai, and ANA's Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing Takashi Shiki. ANA President Osamu Shinobe visited Mr. Mimura one day before. "We've been waiting for this moment. We would like to strengthen our partnerships with the Kansai (Greater Osaka) region to promote tourism and help the route grow," said Mr. Mimura, adding "Ahead of that lies another big ambition," hoping for ANA's resumption of their Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) link. Mr. Shiki responded, "We have a big international network from Haneda now (ANA's Summer 2014 international expansion.). We also share the desire to open up Aomori's charm to the world."

The brand-new ANA counters at Aomori with celebration flower decorations. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

 
Aomori has seen turbulent times in recent years. In FY2003, its annual passenger number recorded 1.41 million, however, after the merger of Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) and Japan Air System (JD/JAS) was complete, ANA withdrew from Aomori in April that year, axing its link to Haneda and shifting the precious slots to more lucrative routes. Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY) briefly filled the vacancy but withdrew in November. JAL's financial woes forced the airline to cut its link to Fukuoka (FUK/RJFF) in 2007 and Nagoya/Chubu Centrair (NGO/RJGG) in 2010. Dealing a further blow, the opening of the super-efficient Shinkansen (bullet train) to Aomori in 2010 followed shortly by the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake reduced the number to merely 800,000 for FY2010.

The Nagoya link was restarted by Fuji Dream Airlines (JH/FDA) with service (CoachFlyer JH366: AOJ – NKM on Fuji Dream Airlines' Embraer E175.) to its older airport at Komaki (NKM/RJNA) in 2011. Other than the ANA and FDA flights, Aomori is served by Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) with three-times daily each to New Chitose and Itami (operated by J-Air), and six-times daily to Haneda, while Korean Air (KE/KAL) maintains a three-times weekly service to Seoul/Incheon (ICN/RKSI) (CoachFlyer KE768: AOJ - ICN on Korean Air's Boeing 737.), the prefecture's sole scheduled international route. Passenger numbers slightly increased to 850,000 for FY2013.

Arriving passengers were greeted by ANA banners promoting the Aomori launch. To the right is a miniature version of Aomori's renowned Nebuta. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

For ANA, the resumption is also a strategy to experiment potential markets in Japan's mature domestic market (at least at ANA/JAL's costs) where the population has started to decline. ANA's most recent new domestic destination was Iwakuni (IWK/RJOI) in eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture, when the joint U.S. Air Force (USAF) - Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) base was opened up for civilian flights in December 2012.

Aomori hopes ANA's comeback will boost demand. In 2011, when ANA entered the Akita (AXT/RJSK) – Itami market in competition with JAL, passengers carried on the route increased from 100,000 in FY2011 to 170,000 in FY2013. On the other hand, airports such as Yamaguchi-Ube (UBJ/RJDC) saw passengers decline after JAL entered the ANA-dominated market in FY2002; the figure was 960,000 for FY2003 but had decreased to 850,000 in FY2013. Prefecture officials hope it doesn't "end up with both carriers losing money and terminating the route," and JAL's Aomori Office chief Yutaka Fukuda said "There's certainly potential demand. But two carriers serving the route doesn't mean the market will grow overnight. We need to make efforts."

Aomori is one of the most beautiful and diverse prefectures of Japan, but remains an under-served and under-explored tourist destination. From the Hakkoda Mountains, which gets heavier annual snowfall than anywhere else in Japan, to the renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirakami-Sanchi, picturesque Lake Towada to the nature abundant Shimokita Peninsula, Aomori is filled with fascinating vast landscapes. On the culture side, it is home to the famous Nebuta festival, when the entire prefecture goes for celebration in August, as well as the Sannai-Maruyama Ruins, one of the oldest archaeological sites in Japan dating back to 3900 B.C., and much more. Food is no exception, with the Tsugaru cuisine and the Nanbu cuisine, and forget not the fresh fish (Sashimi and Sushi) from the surrounding seas and the herbs from the mountains. There are countless Onsens (public hot spring baths) as well. 

Reference: Yomiuri Shimbun, June 29th. (in Japanese)
Reference: Yomiuri Shimbun, July 2nd. (in Japanese) 

*Post edited/updated on July 5th.

Amakusa Airlines chooses ATR42-600.

On May 19th, Amakusa City Government in Kumamoto Prefecture announced that Amakusa Airlines (AHX), the commuter airline of the Amakusa Islands, is preparing to order a single ATR42-600 for delivery in January 2016. As reported earlier (Amakusa Airlines to acquire an ATR42.), the 48-seat French turboprop will replace their sole Bombardier DHC-8-103, JA81MX.

Amakusa Airlines' fleet: Bombardier DHC-8-103 JA81MX. (Photo: Nikkei)

Amakusa City hopes to secure the purchase deposit of 260 million JPY in June's budget proposal. The total cost of the aircraft is estimated at 2.1 billion JPY and will be split among the airline's shareholders of Amakusa City, which owns 22.92%, Kamiamakusa City, owning 2.73%, and Reihoku Town, which owns 1.2%, as well as Kumamoto Prefecture, which controls 53.31%. The remainder is owned by local businesses.

A 300-million-JPY C-check is coming up for its sole 'Dash 8' in 2015, and the company has concluded that that amount plus subsequent maintenance costs of the 14-year-old propliner would outweigh the expenses of replacing it with a newer model. From its base at Amakusa (AXJ/RJDA) with its single DHC-8, Amakusa Airlines operates to Fukuoka (FUK/RJFF) and Kumamoto (KMJ/RJFT), as well as the Kumamoto - Osaka/Itami (ITM/RJOO) route.

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

New Central Airservice launches Miyakejima.

On April 2nd, New Central Airservice (CUK) launched Tokyo/Chofu (RJTF) - Miyakejima (MYE/RJTQ) intra-Tokyo island service. 19-seat Dornier Do 228s operate the route three times daily. One-way fare has been set at 17,200 JPY per person, while a round-trip ticket is sold at 31,500 JPY. As an essential air link connecting the remote island and mainland Tokyo, the service is subsidized by the Government of Tokyo.

Dornier Do 228-212 JA33CA of the Chofu-based commuter carrier. (Photo: New Central Airservice)

Timetable:
CUK401 RJTF 0915 – 1005 MYE D28 Daily
CUK405 RJTF 1110 – 1200 MYE D28 Daily
CUK407 RJTF 1440 – 1530 MYE D28 Daily
CUK402 MYE 1030 – 1120 RJTF D28 Daily
CUK406 MYE 1230 – 1320 RJTF D28 Daily
CUK408 MYE 1600 – 1650 RJTF D28 Daily

All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) withdrew from the one-time daily Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) - Miyakejima service it had been operating since 1966 this past Monday on March 31st. It was operated by ANA Wings' (EH/AKX) 56-seat Bombardier DHC-8-300Q (ANA quietly retires the Bombardier DHC-8-300Q.), which was retired on that day.

New Central Airservice's intra-Tokyo island network. (Image: New Central Airservice)

Founded in 1978 and based at Chofu, in northwestern Tokyo, New Central Airservice flies scheduled commuter flights to the Izu Islands with a fleet of five Dornier Do 228s. Kouzushima (RJAZ) has been served since 1992, Niijima (RJAN) since 1979, and Oshima (OIM/RJTO) since 1984. The company was the launch customer for the 'New Generation' Dornier Do 228NG (New Central Airservice receives 2nd Dornier 228NG.).

Source: New Central Airservice, April 2nd. (in Japanese)

ANA quietly retires the Bombardier DHC-8-300Q.

As all spotlight is on the last passenger Boeing 747 retiring from Japan, All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) also phased out its last Bombardier 'Q300' on March 31st.

Bombardier/de Havilland Canada DHC-8-315Q JA804K departs Haneda. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

DHC-8-315Q JA804K operated ANA Wings (EH/AKX) flight EH1849 (marketed as NH1849), service from Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) to Miyakejima (MYE/RJTQ), but ironically, after leaving Haneda almost three hours late at 1412, it had to return and the flight was canceled due to excessively high concentrations of sulfur dioxide on the volcanic island this day. Every person on the island is required to have a gas mask at hand at all times. The aircraft arrived back in Tokyo at 1529.

Staff pose in front of JA804K after returning to Haneda. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

JA804K is the last remaining of five originally acquired by Air Nippon Network (EH/AKX), the predecessor of ANA Wings. The first of the type was delivered in March 2001 initially to replace Air Nippon's (EL/ANK) Japan-made NAMC YS-11s flying regional routes from Haneda as well as intra-Hokkaido flights from Sapporo/Okadama (OKD/RJCO). Its inaugural flight was Haneda - Oshima (OIM/RJTO) on July 1st, 2001. JA804K was delivered on January 10th, 2003. 

JA802K 'Himawari' and JA803K 'Suzuran'. (Photo: Air Nippon Network)

Unlike most other ANA aircraft, these were delivered in flower-themed special liveries dubbed 'Flower Props'; JA801K (1st aircraft) was Tsubaki (Japanese camellia: Camellia japonica), JA802K (2nd) was Himawari (sunflower: Helianthus annuus), JA803K (3rd) was Suzuran (Lily of the Valley: Convallaria majalis), JA804K (4th) was Cosmos (cosmos: Cosmos), and JA805K (5th) was Hamanasu (Japanese rose: Rosa rugosa). All were repainted in ANA's 'Triton Blue' livery by March 2010.

3QQ3 (pronounced like 'thank you Q3' in Japanese) logo, along with Izu Oshima and Miyakejima's mascots. (Photo: Aviation Wire)

The retirement helps standardize ANA's turboprop fleet on the DHC-8-400Q. Started back on March 4th, 1966, their Miyakejima route has been flown ever since except for an eight-year suspension after the island's volcano erupted in July 2000. After resumption, load factors were around 30 - 40% and ANA decided to terminate the service effective April 1st. The Tokyo government-subsidized island link will now be taken over by New Central Airservice (CUK) on April 2nd (New Central Airservice receives 2nd Dornier 228NG.) when they launch Tokyo/Chofu (RJTF) - Miyakejima three times daily with Dornier 228s.

So, ANA is retiring its smallest (56 seats) and biggest (565 seats) airplanes on the same day.

Source: FlyTeam, March 31st. (in Japanese) 
Source: Aviation Wire, March 31st. (in Japanese)

Ryukyu Air Commuter to fly island-hopping charters.

Starting today, Ryukyu Air Commuter (RAC) will be operating island-hopping charters in the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa prefecture, in the southernmost region of Japan. A De Havilland Canada DHC-8-100Q will operate a Okinawa/Naha (OKA/ROAH) - Kumejima (UEO/ROKJ) - Miyako (MMY/ROMY) - Ishigaki (ISG/ROIG) - Naha rotation in four days. RAC will operate 10 rotations between March 11th and 23rd.

De Havilland Canada DHC-8-103Q JA8973 taxies at Naha. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano)

Flight schedule:
RAC3801 OKA 1215 - 1250 UEO DH1 March 11 - 20
RAC3803 UEO 1335 - 1425 MMY DH1 March 12 - 21
RAC3805 MMY 1450 - 1545 ISG DH1 March 13 - 22
RAC3808 ISG 1630 - 1735 OKA DH1 March 14 - 23

Now operated for seven consecutive years, these flights are part of a packaged tour arranged and sold by Tokyo-based travel agency Club Tourism International to visit the Kumejima, Miyako, and Yaeyama islands. About 300 participants will come from Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Flight RAC3805 is expected to provide a sightseeing opportunity of the Yaeyama Islands before landing at Ishigaki.

RAC is a commuter airline connecting the Ryukyu Islands operating a fleet of one DHC-8-300Q and four DHC-8-100Qs. It is owned 72.9% by JAL Group's Okinawan arm Japan Transocean Air (NU/JTA), 5.1% by the Government of Okinawa, and the rest by local businesses.

Source: Japan Transocean Air, March 7th. (PDF; in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, March 10th. (in Japanese)

New Central Airservice receives 2nd Dornier 228NG.

On January 16th, New Central Airservice's (CUK) second Dornier Do 228NG, its fifth of the type, was delivered from Germany to the airline's maintenance base at Ryugasaki Airfield (ICAO: none) in Chiba prefecture registered as D-CJAP. It will be re-registered JA35CA.

New Central Airservice's Dornier Do 228 and destinations. (Image: CUK)

New Central Airservice will use the 19-seat aircraft to launch three-times daily Tokyo/Chofu (RJTF) - Miyakejima (MYE/RJTQ) service on April 2nd, replacing ANA Wings (EH/AKX), which at the end of March will suspend its single daily Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) - Miyakejima route currently operated with its last remaining 56-seat Bombardier DHC-8-315 (300Q) JA804K. Located approximately 180km south of Tokyo and administered by the nation's capital, Miyakejima, one of the nine inhabited Izu Islands, is home to 2,580 people. The only means of transportation from the island to Tokyo is either the 50-minute flight, or a six-hour ferry ride. These essential services are subsidized by the government of Tokyo.

The airline was the launch customer for the 'New Generation' Dornier Do 228, upgraded with a glass cockpit, five-blade propeller, and longer range. It is manufactured by Swiss technology firm RUAG. Chofu Airport, located in northwestern Tokyo, is New Central Airservice's hub for its scheduled commuter flights to the Izu Islands. With its fleet of Dornier Do 228s, they currently operate to Kouzushima (RJAZ), Niijima (RJAN), and Oshima (OIM/RJTO).

Amakusa Airlines to acquire an ATR42.

Amakusa Airlines (AHX), the commuter airline of the Amakusa Islands in Kumamoto Prefecture, is reportedly in discussions to find a replacement aircraft for its 39-seat sole Bombardier DHC-8. Presently, the top candidate is a 48-seat ATR42. An order could be placed with the European manufacturer as early as this year for a 2015 delivery. If the plan bears fruit, it would be ATR's first customer in Japan, after would-be ATR72 operator Link Airs went out of business before taking any deliveries.

Amakusa Airlines often uses unofficial 'AMX' instead of AHX. (Image: Amakusa Airlines)

Delivered in November 1999, DHC-8-103 JA81MX has been in service ever since operations were launched in March 2000, coinciding with the opening of Amakusa Airfield (AXJ/RJDA). A 300-million-JPY C-check is coming up in 2015, and the company has concluded that that amount plus subsequent maintenance costs of the 14-year-old turboprop would outweigh the expenses of replacing it with a newer model.

Amakusa Airlines is owned 53.31% by Kumamoto Prefecture, 22.92% by the City of Amakusa, 2.73% by the City of Kamiamakusa, 1.2% by Reihoku Town, among others. From its base at Amakusa with its single DHC-8, they operate to Fukuoka (FUK/RJFF) and Kumamoto (KMJ/RJFT), as well as the Kumamoto - Osaka/Itami (ITM/RJOO) route.

Source: Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun (in Japanese)

ANA to resume Aomori.

On December 26th, All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) revealed that they will be re-introducing services to Aomori (AOJ/RJSA) from the summer 2014 timetable, with flights to Osaka/Itami (ITM/RJOO) and Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC). They will be flown with 74-seat Bombardier DHC-8-400Qs operated by subsidiary ANA Wings (EH/AKX). Details will be announced in January 2014.

ANA withdrew from Aomori in April 2003, after axing its service to Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT). For domestic from Aomori, Japan Airlines (JL/JAL) serves Haneda, JAL's subsidiary J-Air (XM/JLJ) serves New Chitose and Itami, and Fuji Dream Airlines (JH/FDA) serves Nagoya/Komaki (NKM/RJNA).

Hope ANA stays for the long term and provides competition for JAL.

Source: Kahoku Shimbun (in Japanese)