Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese airline group ANA Holdings Inc. said Thursday that it will acquire full ownership of RegionalPlus Wings Corp., the holding company of midsize airlines Airdo Co. and Solaseed Air Inc., through a stock swap in April next year. ANA Holdings already owns an equity stake of over 15 pct in RegionalPlus Wings. Amid sluggish earnings from domestic operations due partly to higher fuel costs, it hopes to improve profitability through integrated flight operations and centralized procurement. Airdo, headquartered in Sapporo, the capital of the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, mainly serves routes to and from the prefecture, while Solaseed Air, whose head office is in the southwestern Japan city of Miyazaki, provides services mainly in the Kyushu and Okinawa region in southern Japan. The two airlines codeshare with All Nippon Airways, a subsidiary of ANA Holdings. ANA Holdings and RegionalPlus Wings will determine the stock swap ratio through consultations. While planning to maintain the Airdo and Solaseed Air brands for the time being, ANA Holdings is also exploring the possibility of operating the two airlines under the ANA brand in the medium term. Adjustments of flight schedules and frequencies are expected to begin as early as the summer of 2028. Koji Shibata, president and CEO of ANA Holdings, said, “We will effectively combine each company’s business resources and operational strengths to enhance the sustainability of regional air networks.” Also on Thursday, ANA Holdings announced its consolidated earnings results for April-September. It logged a 17.5 pct increase in sales from a year earlier to a record 1,398.7 billion yen, while its net profit was down 11.8 pct to 67 billion yen due partly to higher fuel costs stemming from worsening tensions in the Middle East. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
