ANA’s new subsidiary Air Japan unveils cabin interiors and services

Air Japan, All Nippon Airways’ newest subsidiary, has unveiled latest cabin interiors and services. The airline is slated to start flying in February 2024.

In March 2022, ANA revealed that it will launch a new airline which will be known as Air Japan. At the time, it was announced that the carrier will operate a fleet of Boeing B787-8 Dreamliners, with no additional details about the cabin products provider. We now have an idea of what the cabin and service will be like onboard Air Japan. Let’s take a look.

Cabin interiors

Air Japan’s B787-8s will feature 324 standard Economy Class seats. The airline, which markets itself as neither a full-service carrier nor a low-cost carrier, will offer a generous 32-inch seat pitch, similar to those offered by premium airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Emirates.

The seats will be made of “premium Japanese faux leather, renowned for its lightweight, durable and soft texture”. The carrier says that the “wider front legroom and deeper reclining design provide passengers with a more comfortable in-flight experience”.

Additionally, the seats will feature USB-A and USB-C ports in addition to tablet holders.

The cabin interior and seats were designed by the British design company Acumen Design Associates, a product and transport design agency, renowned for its many innovations in aircraft interiors.

Cabin crew uniforms

AirJapan’s cabin attendant uniforms have been designed to express the brand’s “Fly Thoughtful” philosophy to “value the unique qualities of its cabin attendants”. The cabin attendants were involved from the earliest planning stages of the new uniforms, resulting in a design that embodies the brand’s core values of kindness to all. Notably, the uniforms have a borderless design, promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce by incorporating gender-neutral options and enabling variations in coordination.

Variations in the uniforms allow cabin attendants the flexibility to dress in their own unique way. There will be two types of bottoms – skirts and pants, and a choice of sneakers and leather shoes. Sneakers are being increasingly used by airlines for their cabin crew to increase the comfort and let go of the painful heels and shoes.

The design includes traditional Japanese cultural elements such as “knots” and “layers,” immersing passengers in Japanese culture from the first moment of boarding. The knot is represented by the brand’s color belt. In layering, a beautiful natural overlapping pattern was designed into details such as the hem of the skirt and sleeves.The uniforms will be made from in-part from plant-derived fabrics.

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Boarding music

When passengers will board an Air Japan flight, they will hear music titled “Ai” with the traditional Japanese sounds of shakuhachi and koto created in collaboration with the Tokyo University of the Arts.

This ensemble piece combines Japanese and Western instruments. The music’s traditional feel is contrasted by the modern vibe produced by the fresh grooves, and the classic Japanese sounds produced by the shakuhachi and koto complement the ensemble of the Western instruments and celebrate the beginning of a new journey. The title ‘Ai’ encompasses a wide range of meanings including ‘indigo,’ ‘love,’ ‘meetings’ and ‘encounters’ in Japanese.

said Noel Hiyamizu, Composer, Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School.

The boarding music can be found here:

Meals and Services

Air Japan will not offer complimentary inflight meals. The carrier will offer menus for a set fee that may be reserved online in advance, and in addition, provide meals and snacks that can be purchased onboard the flight. The airline says that the specific meal options will be announced when tickets go on sale.

First routes

Air Japan has not yet unveiled the first routes but it says that the airline will start flying in February 2024 with first routes to South East Asia and thereafter expanding to other parts of Asia.

My guess is that the first route will be to Singapore, with possibility of markets in Thailand and Vietnam also. India can also be a target market for this airline, but the carrier says that it will focus on medium-haul routes so India seems a long shot.

It will interesting to see how Air Japan evolves and how the service will be like on the airline.

Featured image by Air Japan

All the other images by Air Japan

What do you think of Air Japan? Let me know in the comments section below.

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