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. 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.

Adjustments of flight schedules and frequencies are expected to begin as early as the summer of 2028.

“We will effectively combine each company’s business resources and operational strengths to enhance the sustainability of regional air networks,” said Koji Shibata, president and CEO of ANA Holdings.

Also on Thursday, ANA Holdings announced its consolidated earnings results for April-September.

It logged a 17.5% increase in sales from a year earlier to a record ¥1.39 trillion ($8.83 billion), while its net profit was down 11.8% to ¥67 billion due partly to higher fuel costs stemming from worsening tensions in the Middle East.