The first order for the Airbus A380 in Japan is being announced and isn’t an order from All Nippon Airlines or Japan Air Lines.  Instead, it comes from tiny Skymark Airlines who operates the 737-800 (although they did operate the 767-300 for a while) and who is hubbed at Tokyo’s Haneda airport with an additional focus on Kobe.

The order is for 4 aircraft with options for an additional 2.  Delivery dates are unknown and this order still has to be “firmed up” within the next few months. 

It’s difficult for me to call this a vanity order or a political one for that matter.  This airline is too small for either condition.  With the order book for the A380 essentially covering the next several years, this is like an order that will be scheduled far in the future. 

But it doesn’t make sense.  This airline doesn’t have a network to feed an A-380 and using the A-380 for domestic flights essentially abuses it capabilities.  It would be much easier and offer more flexibility to use 2 767-300s or 777-200/300s for domestic use than it would be to use one A-380.  Supposedly Skymark will use these for international flights but, if so, I have to ask where they’re going to use them and just what kind of network do they plan to have to feed these animals day in and day out?

Filling a 500 passenger aircraft for international flights every day is no trivial task and given Skymark’s business model, they may well be thinking of well in excess of 500 seats per flight.  Yes, on a theoretically full flight, your flights would be incredibly profitable.  The problem is, it’s unrealistic to plan for “full” year round. 

This may be just a fancilful pursuit that will never be realized and I wouldn’t be surprised if we find that out in another 3 to 4 years.

Filed under: Airline News by ajax