2013-10-02

ANA Gets More New Slots at Haneda Next Year

   
Dispute over Who Gets More International Flight Slots at Expanded Haneda:
Gov’t Decision in Favor of ANA
All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Tokyo Haneda Int’l Airport   

October 2, 2013, various sources

Sankei Shimbun reported today as follows: For allocation of newly available slots for international flights at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport, which is due to complete a new expansion project by the end of March, 2014, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) is allegedly giving more slots to ANA than JAL.

Newly available are designated for international arrival/departure slots during ‘daytime’ i.e. 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the gateway to Tokyo city center and MILT is going to allocate a total of 16 slots to Japanese carriers. These slots are supposed to be used for European trunk lines as well as shorter routes for Asian destinations including China and Indonesia. Allegedly ANA will be given around 10 slots at the final stage of coordination by MILT.

International slots are known for high profitability and it is said a daytime slot can generate annual revenues of about 10 billion yen (100 million U.S. dollars).  ANA has been claiming that the airliner deserves to receive more slots than Japan Airlines that was rescued by public funding from its bankruptcy. and the gap of corporate performance was artificially widened between the two carriers  JAL reacted to this ANA’s request by saying ‘a fair competition calls for an equal distribution of the slots.’

MLIT, on the other hand, has judged that ‘awarding of an official support should not distort a competitive environment into an inappropriate manner’ and will permit ANA to get two slots for German destinations and one slot for Canadian destination to ANA.. Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported ANA will receive 11 slots and JAL will get 5 slots