Air Japan (NQ/AJX), a low-cost airline founded by the All Nippon Airways Group in 2022, will cease services in 2026. The carrier is based in the Japanese capital, more precisely at Narita International Airport, and currently operates Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

Launch

On March 8th, 2022, ANA Holdings published a press release on its website announcing the launch of Air Japan, a new low-cost airline for medium-haul international routes. The establishment was part of its business model transformation to pursue sustainable growth and the ability to quickly respond to a wide range of customer preferences. At the time of publication, it was scheduled to begin operations in the second half of FY2023.

As planned, on February 9th, 2024, Air Japan performed its inaugural flight aboard the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration JA803A, the only aircraft in its fleet at that time. It departed from Narita at 18:48 local time covering flight NQ1 to Bangkok, which was its only regular route for the first 15 days.

Later on, Air Japan added another Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to its fleet (JA801A), also formerly owned by All Nippon Airways. Before entering service with Air Japan, both aircraft were ferried to Xiamen, where they received the new low-cost airline’s livery and high-density seating configuration, being 324 seats in single class.

In addition to the Thai capital, which remains on the current schedule, Air Japan launched flights between Tokyo Narita and Seoul on February 24th, 2024, operated by JA803A. On April 26th, 2024, it inaugurated its latest new route, Tokyo Narita – Singapore, marking its entry into a third Asian market.

The capitals of Singapore and South Korea continue to be served by Air Japan to/from the Japanese capital, having 26 weekly flights between its three current routes.

Bangkok

Daily

• NQ 1  Tokyo NRT 17:35 · 22:55 BKK Bangkok
• NQ 2  Bangkok BKK 00:10 · 08:15 NRT Tokyo

Seoul

Daily

• NQ 121  Tokyo NRT 09:50 · 12:30 ICN Seoul
• NQ 122  Seoul ICN 13:40 · 16:05 NRT Tokyo

Singapore

Daily except Tuesday and Wednesday

• NQ 3  Tokyo NRT 17:05 · 23:45 SIN Singapore
• NQ 4  Singapore SIN 00:55 · 08:40 NRT Tokyo

Effective November 25th, flights NQ3 and NQ4 will increase to daily frequency for Winter 2025/2026, and will also introduce new additional services under flight numbers NQ113 and NQ114 as of January 5th, 2026, with plans to operate nine weekly flights.

Just over two and a half years after the launch, on October 30th, 2025, ANA Group announced through a press release that its multi-brand strategy would be restructured, with the goal of maximizing the entire Group’s profitability and competitiveness while flexibly responding to recent changes in the business environment.

To optimize the allocation of the Group’s resources, as it has several Boeing 787 Dreamliners grounded (AOG), ANA Group decided that Air Japan would cease operations at the end of March 2026, planning its last departure from Tokyo Narita on March 28th, 2026, and its last two arrivals on March 29th, 2026.

During Winter 2025/26, Air Japan will operate 30 weekly flights from/to Tokyo among its three routes. Beyond March 29th, 2026, the two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners (JA801A and JA803A) and human resources will be taken over by All Nippon Airways’ international operations.

Thus, Air Japan, the international low-cost airline launched by ANA, will conclude its regular flights after slightly more than two years, having commenced on February 9th, 2024, and concluding on March 29th, 2026.

All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) is Japan’s leading airline, founded in December 1952 and commencing operations five years later. Currently, Tokyo Haneda (HND/RJTT), Tokyo Narita (NRT/RJAA), Osaka Itami (ITM/RJOO), and Osaka Kansai (KIX/RJBB) are some of its bases, with the Japanese capital being its main hub.

Tokyo Haneda

Tokyo Narita

Domestic routes from Tokyo

As well as the international sector, the airline has significant connectivity within Japan, mainly to/from Tokyo Haneda Airport. As you can see in our database, Nagoya, Osaka, and Sapporo are the only domestic routes operated by All Nippon Airways at Tokyo Narita.

All Nippon Airways currently has two Airbus A380-800s in its fleet, which are configured with 8 seats in First Class, 56 seats in Business Class, 73 seats in Premium Economy, and 383 seats in Economy Class, for a total of 520 seats. JA381A, JA382A, and JA383A are their registration numbers, being based in Tokyo Haneda.

Tokyo-Honolulu is the only route for these three aircraft, having operated this route for the past year, according to our database.

Fleet

Cover photo: © Limit_aviation – JetPhotos (Seoul, South Korea)