JAPAN TODAY



 

ANA Holdings Inc. said Friday its net profit in the nine months ended in December rose 3.9 percent from a year earlier to 139.24 billion yen, driven by the solid international flight business on the back of Japan's inbound tourism boom.

Revenue in the April-December period climbed 10.3 percent to a record 1.88 trillion yen and operating profit grew 5.6 percent to 180.71 billion yen.

ANA saw growth in the number of passengers on routes connecting cities between Japan and China in the October-December quarter, even as China urged its citizens in November to avoid traveling to Japan amid the Beijing-Tokyo row.

For the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays, "We've seen steady demand in reservations" from China, President Koji Shibata said at a press conference.
Some customers may have chosen ANA as Chinese airlines reduced the number of flights to and from cities in Japan, Shibata said.

The parent of All Nippon Airways Co. said passengers of international flights saw a 11.7 percent increase in the nine-month period, supported by three newly added routes connecting Japan with Europe. Passengers of domestic flights were up 3.7 percent.

For the current fiscal year ending March, the company said, it will keep its full-year projection of 145 billion yen in net profit and 200 billion yen in operating profit. It will also maintain its revenue forecast of 2.48 trillion yen.