AirAsia Japan
| Company type | Joint venture (initially), private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | July 21, 2011 (Part 1) |
| Defunct | October 26, 2013 (Part 1), October 5, 2020 (Part 2) |
| Fate | Rebranded as Vanilla Air (Part 1); ceased operations due to COVID-19 pandemic (Part 2) |
| Headquarters | Tokyo (Part 1), Nagoya (Part 2) , Japan |
Area served | Japan, Taiwan, South Korea |
Key people | Tony Fernandes (CEO of AirAsia Group), Yoshinori Odagiri (chairman, Part 2) |
| Products | Low-cost airline services |
| Parent | AirAsia (49% stake in Part 2), All Nippon Airways (initial joint venture partner in Part 1) |
AirAsia Japan refers to two separate Japanese low-cost airline enterprises formed through partnerships between Malaysia's AirAsia and Japanese collaborators.
The initial version, launched in July 2011 and headquartered at Tokyo's Narita International Airport, discontinued operations in October 2013 and was subsequently rebranded as Vanilla Air. The second version started service in July 2014 from Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport and ceased on 5 October 2020, primarily due to diminished passenger numbers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
History
Tony Fernandes, the director and chief executive officer (CEO) of AirAsia, described these two ventures as "Part 1" and "Part 2."
Part 1: Joint venture with All Nippon Airways (2012–2013)
The Malaysian budget airline AirAsia collaborated with Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) to establish AirAsia Japan as a joint venture in Tokyo on 21 July 2011. This initiative followed ANA’s earlier launch of Peach, a low-cost carrier based at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, alongside Japan Airlines’ creation of its own budget affiliate, Jetstar Japan. ANA’s partnership with AirAsia aimed to optimize operational efficiency. Officially founded in August 2011, AirAsia Japan began flights on 1 August 2012, operating routes from Tokyo Narita to Fukuoka Airport.
With its headquarters located in Tokyo alongside ANA, AirAsia Japan was the first low-cost airline to operate out of Narita International Airport. Initially concentrating on domestic flights under AirAsia’s branding and service approach, the airline had intentions to extend services internationally to destinations such as the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. CEO Tony Fernandes envisioned the Narita base serving as a strategic link connecting Southeast Asia and the United States within AirAsia’s broader network.
End of joint venture and rebranding (2013)
In June 2013, AirAsia withdrew its stake, resulting in AirAsia Japan becoming a fully owned subsidiary of ANA. Analyses pointed to AirAsia Japan having the lowest passenger load factors among newly established Japanese low-cost carriers. Contributing factors included an online booking system that was not localized for Japanese customers, limited availability through travel agencies, the less convenient location of Narita airport for domestic travelers, and operational restrictions on early morning and late-night flights.
AirAsia Japan continued flying under its original brand until 26 October 2013 before transitioning to the name Vanilla Air on 1 November 2013. Its aircraft were reassigned to Indonesia AirAsia, while Vanilla Air launched with a fleet of two planes and aimed to expand to ten by fiscal year 2015. Targeting both domestic and international routes, Vanilla Air established a secondary hub at Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport. The new airline retained all personnel from AirAsia Japan and initially focused on leisure destinations with plans for longer-haul services in the future.
Although AirAsia expressed plans to initiate a new joint venture in Japan with a different partner, restrictions on foreign ownership combined with a limited pool of experienced Japanese operators outside ANA and JAL’s Jetstar Japan alliance made such prospects unlikely.
Part 2: AirAsia's Re-entry into the Japanese Market (2014–2020)
On 1 July 2014, AirAsia reestablished its presence in Japan through a partnership involving online marketplace and travel service provider Rakuten (18% ownership), cosmetics and aircraft leasing company Noevir Holdings (9%), sportswear brand Alpen (5%), and private equity firm Octave Japan (19%). AirAsia retained a 49% stake in the venture. The initial investment amounted to JPY7 billion (approximately US$69 million), with former CEO Yoshinori Odagiri returning to lead as chairman. The airline aimed to commence operations in summer 2015, starting with two Airbus A320 jets based at Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport, intending to increase the fleet to four aircraft by the end of that year. On 6 October 2015, AirAsia Japan secured its operational license, announcing initial routes from Nagoya to Sendai, Sapporo, and Taipei.
Following several postponements, the airline officially resumed flights on 29 October 2017, launching its inaugural service from Nagoya Centrair to Sapporo. By August 2019, the network had expanded to include Sendai and Taipei. In January 2020, a new route connecting Nagoya Centrair and Fukuoka was announced for February; however, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to suspension of operations from March 2020. This route eventually began service when domestic flights recommenced on 1 August 2020.
Cessation of Operations (2020)
Although AirAsia Japan restarted flights in August 2020, it suspended services again by mid-September due to insufficient passenger numbers. Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia Group, announced an evaluation of the airline’s future prospects. The decision to discontinue operations was finalized on 30 September 2020, with an official statement released on 5 October 2020. Despite offering voluntary retirement schemes and implementing other cost-cutting measures, financial difficulties remained unresolved. Subsequently, on 17 November 2020, AirAsia Japan filed for bankruptcy protection at Tokyo District Court, marking it as the first Japanese carrier to cease operations as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis.
Destinations
Initially launched in August 2012 from Tokyo's Narita International Airport, AirAsia Japan ceased operations and was rebranded as Vanilla Air in October 2013. The airline name was revived in October 2017 under a new company based at Nagoya's Chubu Centrair International Airport, continuing service until October 2020.
The following table outlines destinations served by both versions of AirAsia Japan through October 2020:
Fleet
At the time of its shutdown in October 2020, AirAsia Japan's fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[7]
| Aircraft | Quantity | Orders | Seating Capacity | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 3 | — | 180 | |
| 186 | ||||
| Airbus A320neo | — | 1 | 186 | Order transferred to AirAsia. |
| Total | 3 | 1 | ||
Formerly operated
The initial partnership with All Nippon Airways utilized three Airbus A320-200 aircraft, which were subsequently reassigned to Indonesia AirAsia, an affiliate of AirAsia, following the transition to Vanilla Air.
Frequent-flyer program
AirAsia Japan was part of BIG, the loyalty program managed by AirAsia and its partner airlines.[8]
See also
External links
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- ↑ "BIG Membership".
- Defunct airlines of Japan
- Airlines established in 2011
- Airlines established in 2014
- Airlines disestablished in 2013
- Airlines disestablished in 2020
- AirAsia
- Companies based in Nagoya
- Japanese companies established in 2011
- Japanese companies established in 2014
- Japanese companies disestablished in 2013
- Japanese companies disestablished in 2020
- Defunct low-cost airlines
- Airlines disestablished due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Low-cost carriers of Japan