ANA holdings to fully acquire parent of two midsize airlines

Major Japanese airline group ANA Holdings said Thursday that it will acquire full ownership of RegionalPlus Wings, the holding company of midsize airlines Airdo and Solaseed Air, through a stock swap in April.

ANA Holdings already owns an equity stake of over 15% in RegionalPlus Wings. Amid sluggish earnings from domestic operations, it hopes to improve profitability through integrated flight operations and centralized procurement.

Airdo, headquartered in Sapporo, mainly serves routes to and from the prefecture, while Solaseed Air, whose head office is in Miyazaki, provides services mainly in the Kyushu and Okinawa region in southern Japan. The two airlines code-share 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.

Japanese airlines have been facing a tougher business environment in their domestic airline operations due to fewer business travelers and increasing costs, such as fuel expenses.