ANA Begins Dedicated Air Cargo Service

By Boonsong Kositchotethana, Bangkok Post, Thailand

Oct. 27–All Nippon Airways (ANA) will begin its first dedicated air cargo service between Thailand and Japan early next year to meet the expected surge in freight movements as the result of the two countries’ free trade area pact.

The Japanese airline, which has largely concentrated on passenger business since the start of its Thai operation 16 years ago, will operate eight cargo flights a week, using B767-300 freighters.

The dedicated cargo services will form a key part of ANA’s Thai operation, for which passenger-carrying capacity will also be boosted by 18 percent starting on Sunday.

Kimiya Arima, ANA’s general manager for Thailand, said yesterday that the airline’s expansion, reflected stronger passenger and freight traffic anticipated between the two countries, driven by the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA).

Expanding tourism between Thailand and Japan would also create greater demand for airline seats.

Furthermore, the opening of the Suvarnabhumi airport next year will also allow ANA to expand, as it has faced severe restrictions at Don Muang, Mr Arima said.

ANA expects to start its first cargo services in January or February on two routes that it does not now cover.

There will be six cargo flights a week between Bangkok and Osaka’s Kansai and two on the Bangkok-Nagoya route. They will use Boeing B767-300Fs, each capable of carrying up to 45 tonnes.

The Thailand-Japan FTA agreement is expected to be signed in April and implemented in September. Many Thai agricultural products will likely benefit under the agreement, especially cooked chicken meat and shrimp.

Japan accounted for nearly a third of Thailand’s total exports last year, close to US$13.5 billion of goods and services and second only to the United States. However, Thailand imported a total of $22.5 billion worth of goods and services from Japan, creating a deficit of $9 billion.

ANA aims to increase the number of passengers between Thailand and Japan in the fiscal year to April 2006 by about 40,000 up from about 210,000 in the previous fiscal year.

On Sunday, the airline will start flying larger aircraft — 292-seat Boeing B777-200s — on the Bangkok-Narita (Tokyo) route, replacing some of the flights operated by 214-seat B767-300ERs, which will continue to be used on the route. ANA will operate 28 passenger flights per week on the route.

In 2004, 1,182,067 Japanese visited Thailand and 143,152 Thais travelled to Japan, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

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