ANA’s Budget Carrier Air Japan Starts Flights to Bangkok; Seats on First Service from Thai Capital Nearly Sold-out

By Takashi Itoda / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:03 JST, February 11, 2024

BANGKOK — New budget carrier Air Japan, a subsidiary of ANA Holdings Inc., began flights between Narita Airport and Bangkok on Friday, with its first service from the Thai capital carrying many tourists to Japan — the carrier’s main target.

Air Japan’s first flight back to Narita, which departed in the small hours of Saturday, was nearly fully packed. About 80% of passengers were tourists to Japan and included many families and older travelers.

One-way tickets to Bangkok start from ¥15,500. All seats on Air Japan flights are economy class and almost the same size as those on All Nippon Airways aircraft.

“The middle class has been expanding in South Asia,” said Executive Vice President Toru Ishikawa, who attended a ceremony at Bangkok’s international airport. “We aim to win the hearts of customers who seek affordable prices and high-quality services.”