ANA to buy at least 77 jets from Boeing, Airbus and Embraer
ANA's parent company will buy at least 77 aircraft from Boeing, Airbus and Embraer in a rare simultaneous deal with the world's top three commercial plane-makers, according to people familiar with the matter.
Japan's largest airline won approval from its board of directors to buy at least 18 widebody 787-9 Dreamliners and 12 737-8 Max single-aisle jets from Boeing, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.
It will also add 27 Airbus A321neo airliners, including three of the XLR longest-range single-aisle planes, and 20 E190-E2 regional jets from Brazil's Embraer, the people said.
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Asahi Shimbun
27-05-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Trump calls Ishiba, boasts about Mideast trip, pitches F-47
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba with President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 7 (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Japanese government officials are trying to determine the purpose behind U.S. President Donald Trump's sudden phone call to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Was Trump setting the stage for demands that Japan buy U.S. fighter jets? Was he trying to get closer to someone he believes is a like-minded leader? Or was the U.S. president just seeking someone to stroke his ego? According to Ishiba administration officials, the U.S. side, via the National Security Secretariat, approached Ishiba on the morning of May 23 and said, 'U.S. President Trump has asked, 'Can we talk in a few hours?'' That exchange occurred just before Japan's top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, left for the United States for talks on Trump's tariffs. Several senior Japanese government officials said they feared Trump would strengthen his demands that Japan import more U.S. agricultural products or would flat out reject Japanese requests to lower the tariffs. However, when the phone call began at 11 a.m., Trump's tone was so relaxed that the Japanese side was taken aback. 'It was as if (Trump) was lying down and talking,' a senior official at the prime minister's office said. Trump gave a rundown of his recent trip to the Middle East and praised himself for his 'great accomplishments.' Ishiba chimed in, saying Trump is committed to peace. Trump then said he would like to further strengthen the military to achieve peace, to which Ishiba agreed was a very good idea. The topic in this friendly and casual conversation then shifted from the Middle East to U.S.-made fighter jets, officials said. Trump mentioned the F-47, the sixth-generation fighter jet manufactured by Boeing that was announced in March. He said the '47' in 'F-47' is a good number, and asked Ishiba to agree with him. The F-47, which will replace the F-22, and is believed to be named in honor of Trump, the 47th president of the United States. Trump also praised the F-22, which the United States has never tried to sell to Japan, and the F-55, which is considered an upgraded version of the F-35 fighter. He said the United States has such great fighter jets and asked Ishiba if he would like to take a look at them. Trump added that he will get 'the best' for Japan, the officials said. Sources said Trump is aware of Japan's joint development of a fighter jet with Britain and Italy. However, Trump only causally asked Ishiba if Japan was interested in buying U.S.-made fighter jets, officials said. He never urged Japan to purchase them in conjunction with the tariff negotiations. The topic of fighter jets may have come up because during the Japan-U.S. summit in February, Ishiba showed interest in the C-17, a large U.S.-made transport aircraft, officials said. 'Trump must have thought, 'Well, (Ishiba) would understand (aircraft),' so he went into the in-depth exchange,' one official surmised. However, Japan would have to overcome a number of obstacles to change its fighter aircraft models, such as pilot training and maintenance. For this reason, the Japanese government is taking a cautious approach to Trump's comments about fighter jets. At this point, there are no plans for Ishiba to inspect military aircraft in the United States, sources said. Although the main purpose of Trump's trip to the Middle East was to secure business deals, the key issue in the region is peace, something that Trump has failed to secure so far. 'When Trump returns from the Middle East, he will be criticized by his opponents. That's probably why he said, 'Let's call (Ishiba) who will listen to me,'' a Japanese government official said. Ishiba himself is becoming increasingly confident that he and Trump have chemistry, the official said. During the 45-minute phone call, Trump and Ishiba agreed to hold a summit in conjunction with the G-7 conference to be held in Canada in mid-June.
Asahi Shimbun
26-05-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Airlines diversify in-flight meals to cater to growing passenger base
Chef Masaki Hashimoto, center, poses for a photo in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on March 6, with Air Canada executives to present the new Japanese in-flight meals for the airline, for which he served as a supervisor. (Kenta Nakamura) Diners wanting a premium Japanese 'kaiseki' cuisine worthy of a Michelin star are getting their desires fulfilled high in the skies over the Pacific. Air Canada's Signature Class passengers departing and arriving in Japan since March can feast on a meal featuring simmered 'kinmedai' (alfonsinos), 'hamo' (dagger-tooth pike conger) skin marinated in sweetened vinegar and soba noodles infused with green tea. The dish was supervised by a one-Michelin-starred Japanese head chef based in Toronto. Air Canada has offered Japanese in-flight meals in the past, but it is the first time for the airline to serve a menu created by a Japanese chef. Scott O'Leary, vice president in charge of customer services and other aspects, said that the company invests to improve in-flight experiences for its passengers and that the quality of meals is as important as the conditions of the seats and the aircraft itself. Air Canada designs its meals and services consistent with airport lounges and other facilities as part of efforts to improve the overall quality of airline services to expand its loyal customer base, he added. IMPROVING IN-FLIGHT EXPERIENCE Air Canada is among airlines offering all possible options to win over passengers with in-flight meals, which are also increasingly diversified as the number of inbound tourists grows. Fares for flights departing and arriving in Japan remain high because of increased air travel demand, rising fuel costs and other factors. For both All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) and Japan Airlines Co. (JAL), the average spending per international passenger has risen by about 50 percent from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While inbound tourists benefit from the weak yen, there is a growing need for high-quality trips meriting the price tag, according to a high-ranking member of a major foreign airline. The situation shows that passengers are also slowly becoming luxury-minded when it comes to in-flight meals. In addition, airlines are serving a wide variety of menu options to cater to more diversified dietary habits in recent years. Air Canada serves 12 "special meals," including those conforming to religious regulations, prepared for vegans and meeting other preferences. ANA and JAL also offer more than 20 meal options each in an aim to increase the satisfaction levels of their customers by providing more choices. "Eating habits are increasingly diversified on a global level. We will enrich the options for our customers," an ANA representative said. REDUCING FOOD LOSS Furthermore, such efforts lead to reducing food loss and waste. Because some passengers have meals in airport lounges before boarding or sleep through their flights, in-flight meals are often left unserved. Untouched meals and leftovers cannot be reused because they must be incinerated upon arrival for quarantine reasons. According to an estimate by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other authorities, airlines generate 3.6 million tons of cabin and catering waste globally annually. Of this, uneaten in-flight meals account for about 18 percent, or approximately 650,000 tons. It led JAL to start the Meal Skip Option service for all its international routes in 2022, allowing passengers to select the option to cancel in-flight meals when they book their flights. "Some passengers who couldn't eat regular in-flight meals for various reasons now make reservations for what they can eat and finish eating it all, and the number of meals disposed of has dropped," a JAL representative said. The airline intends to reduce the disposal rate for in-flight meals from 4.4 percent in the business year that ended in March 2024 to less than 4.3 percent in the current business year. ANA also launched the similar No Thank You Option service in 2023. The company has incorporated a service to accept advance reservations for sandwiches and other snacks to reduce leftovers. It also utilizes artificial intelligence to forecast the suitable number of meals to be loaded on each flight. ANA has set a goal of lowering the disposal rate for food including snacks served in airport lounges from 4.3 percent in the business year that ended in March 2024 to 3.8 percent or less in the business year ending in March 2031 and to 2.3 percent or less in the business year ending in March 2051. The airline recycles 100 percent of food scraps generated while preparing in-flight meals to produce compost and other materials.
Japan Times
24-05-2025
- Japan Times
Boeing agrees to resolve U.S. criminal case over 737 crashes
Boeing has reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. Justice Department that would allow the planemaker to avoid criminal charges for two fatal crashes of its 737 Max jets more than six years ago. The settlement was disclosed in a federal court filing Friday, just weeks before a trial was set to start June 23 in Fort Worth, Texas. It calls for the company to pay more than $1.1 billion and strengthen quality and safety measures, Justice Department lawyers said. It's a stunning turnaround in the long-running legal case. Just last year, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal conspiracy. But that deal was rejected in December by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor, who has been overseeing the case since 2021. The new agreement — reached over strong objections from some victims' families — still needs to be approved by O'Connor. The government said a final agreement will be filed by the end of next week, but provided an overview of the terms in its filing. Among them: a $243.6 million fine for Boeing and a order for the planemaker's board of directors to meet with family members of people killed in the crashes. The tentative agreement would allow require Boeing to contribute $444.5 million to a fund for families of victims killed in the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019, according to the filing. Boeing also would spend $455 million to strengthen its compliance, safety and quality programs, the filing shows. "Ultimately, in applying the facts, the law, and Department policy, we are confident that this resolution is the most just outcome with practical benefits,' prosecutors said in a statement, noting that they'd "met extensively' with relatives of the victims. After the government submitted notice of the agreement, lawyers representing family members of crash victims told O'Connor they plan to object to the deal and urge him to deny any attempt by the government to dismiss the criminal case against Boeing. "The families intend to argue that the dismissal unfairly makes concessions to Boeing that other criminal defendants would never receive and fails to hold Boeing accountable for the deaths of 346 persons,' they said in a court filing. Many of the families opposed any deal that allowed Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution. They've fought for years to extract harsher penalties from the company. Both crashes were linked to a flawed flight control system on 737 Max jets. The only Boeing official to face trial was a mid-level manager overseeing the pilot manuals and training materials. He was acquitted. Catherine Berthet, whose 28-year-old daughter Camille Geoffrey was killed in the 2019 crash, said she was "absolutely stunned' by the proposed agreement. "I will never get rid of my pain and my tears,' Berthet said in a statement. "By deciding not to prosecute Boeing and not to take it to court, the government is sending a message to the public that big companies are above the law and justice, even when they kill.' Not all of the victims' families are opposed to the deal, according to prosecutors. In Friday's filing, the Justice Department said family members and lawyers representing more than 100 crash victims either expressed support for the resolution, efforts to end the case before trial or did not oppose the agreement. One family member told the government he wants "the DOJ to find a way to resolve this matter as soon as possible.' Boeing declined to comment on the deal. The company's shares fell less than 1% on Friday. The case has taken several turns. In 2021, Boeing reached an agreement with the Justice Department to defer prosecution on charges that it deceived regulators about the system. Under that deal, Boeing paid a $243.6 million fine. In early 2024, two days before the charge would've been dismissed, a door-sized plug blew out of an airborne 737 Max. While no one was killed, the accident led to investigations and findings of lax controls in Boeing's factories. The government said Boeing violated the 2021 agreement and recommended a criminal charge. Boeing agreed to plead guilty, pay a fine and install an independent corporate monitor. The agreement also would have required the company spend at least $455 million to bolster its compliance and safety programs. But that proposal was rejected in December by O'Connor. He said the agreement diminished his role in ensuring Boeing lived up to its promises and that the process for selecting an independent monitor would rely on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which the judge claimed would improperly impose race on the hiring decision. In March, O'Connor ordered Boeing to stand trial in June. While he didn't explain his decision, the order came a day after the Wall Street Journal reported Boeing was seeking leniency from the Justice Department and trying to avoid a criminal charge. The original plea deal was crafted by the Biden administration's Justice Department, which claimed it was standard practice to include language related to DEI policies. Since taking office Jan. 20, President Donald Trump has been eradicating diversity programs within the federal government.
