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All Nippon Airways has launched the first commercial service in Japan using an Airbus SAS A380, the largest pbadenger aircraft in the world, on the road from Narita to Honolulu.
The 520-seat two-stage jet will initially fly back and forth three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Narita Airport, near Tokyo. June, according to ANA. He made his first trip on Friday.
The airline plans to eventually operate three A380s. The aircraft, with a livery depicting Honu Hawaiian sea turtles, has "an overwhelming presence," said ANA Holdings Inc. President and CEO Shinya Katanozaka.
The aircraft, 72.7 meters long and 24.1 meters high with a wingspan of 79.8 meters, is the first four-engine pbadenger aircraft introduced in Japan from the Boeing 747. twice as many seats as the Boeing 787 currently used on ANA links in Honolulu.
"It's a complicated but well-built aircraft with multiple security systems. I hope the pbadengers will feel the atmosphere of Hawaii aboard, "said Osamu Furukawa, captain and instructor of the 55 year old ANA pilots.
ANA's first A380 aircraft arrived on March 21 at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture, and the second arrived earlier this month. The first is named Sky Blue Flying Honu and the second is Emerald Green Flying Honu, because of the color of their exterior.
With the launch of the A380 service, ANA intends to increase its share of flights connecting Honolulu to its domestic market. It currently ranks third after Japan Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. The new aircraft has "COUCHii seats" that can be used as beds, a lounge bar and a room for changing clothes and badfeeding.
In 2018, 1.57 million Japanese traveled to Hawaii by plane, according to Hawaii tourist authorities.
Furukawa, who was preparing the launch of the A380 service since 2016, said before the maiden flight that he had the feeling that the plane was "heavy".
He and the other A380 pilots have already piloted the smallest A320. "Even if there are similarities, we need to study a lot" about how the A380 works, Furukawa said. ANA began training flights for the A380 in April.
Generally, large aircraft require longer runways for take-offs and landings, and the A380 requires a runway of about 2,500 meters. This means that only a limited number of airports can handle emergency landings of aircraft on long distance international flights.
Aircraft have been built on the principle of intrinsic safety: if one system breaks down, another takes over so that safety is not compromised. The aircraft have backup computers, electrical and hydraulic systems, as well as multiple braking systems. On the ground, the aircraft uses a number of cameras to cover the blind spots of the pilots.
Singapore Airlines was the first carrier to launch the commercial operation of an A380 in 2007 and about 230 of them were used by airlines around the world in late April.
However, the European aircraft manufacturer announced in February that it would stop manufacturing the A380 because of falling orders. The last copy should be delivered in 2021.
The head of ANA Holdings, Katanozaka, said that Airbus had badured the airline that its supply of aircraft components and its rescue services would not be affected, but sources in the industry have expressed concern that it will become difficult to obtain parts of the A380 in the long run.
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