ANA is Japan's biggest airline by passengers, dominating its domestic market and proud of the fact that unlike its rival JAL, it did not need to be rescued by the government in the depth of global financial crisis. Now with new slots at Tokyo's Haneda airport, the airline has big ambition for growth at home and abroad, but competition is heating up. Earlier, I interviewed Shinichiro Ito, chief executive of ANA holdings.
Edited highlights of a video interview with FT.com appear below.
Until now, in the Japanese market, domestic passengers have been the main source of income, but moving forward, in the long term, the Japanese population is decreasing and with such a background I feel that we have to increase the international market share. I see growth in the Asian market, especially in the aviation demand, and we should capture this market. Also geographically, we are based in the northeast of Asia. I feel that we are in a strong position to capture this. To Asia there will be increased traffic in goods, people and money from over the Pacific Ocean, including from the USA, and also from Europe. And ANA needs to strengthen our presence in such growth areas.