The All Nippon Airways (ANA) Group (including its three brands ANA, Peach and AirJapan) has announced its flight schedule for 2024, adding that it expects the impact of Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engine issues to be concluded by the end of July.
‘For domestic routes, with the steady growth in demand and the impact of P&W 1100G-JM engine inspections on operations to be gradually resolved by the end of July, almost all flights will be in operation,’ confirmed the ANA group. This will allow ANA and Peach to increase the number of seats compared to those offered in 2023.
In October 2021, ANA announced its intention to commence a series of engine inspections installed on its 11 A320neo and 22 A321neo aircraft following the publication of a service bulletin from the manufacturer. It explained that these inspections would begin from January 2024, ‘starting with aircraft nearing their scheduled expiration dates’.
A total of 33 aircraft were affected, with ANA noting at the time that some domestic and international flights (from January 10 to March 30, 2024) will be ‘temporarily reduced’. This consisted of approximately 30 flights per day, with a reduction rate of 3.6%. In an attempt to mitigate disruption, ANA also entered into a codeshare agreement with Star Flyer and Solaseed Air, who will operate 134 additional flights.
ANA also intends to deploy the new 737 MAX-10 aircraft upon delivery, although the type is still awaiting certification. Boeing has previously indicated it expects the MAX-10 to be certified in 2024.