All Nippon Airways' First Flight to Canada Lands at YVR

Japan's Largest Airline Brings 350+ New Jobs to British Columbia

RICHMOND, BC, March 30, 2014 /CNW/ - Vancouver Airport Authority today welcomed All Nippon Airways (ANA) to Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The new daily non-stop service to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) marks ANA's first flight to Canada and is an example of how liberalized air-service agreements create jobs at YVR and in the province.

"More than 350 jobs have been created here at YVR and throughout British Columbia, as a direct result of ANA's new daily service to Tokyo Haneda Airport," said Craig Richmond. "YVR already offers the most capacity to Japan of any other Canadian airport and ANA's decision to fly here further strengthens our position as North America's gateway of choice to the Asia-Pacific region."

The new daily service to HND is made possible by recent liberalization to Canada's air-service agreement with Japan. It increases YVR's overall capacity to Tokyo by 30 per cent, complementing existing daily service to Narita International Airport (NRT), which is located approximately 60 km from Tokyo's downtown core. Originally the main international airport for Tokyo until NRT opened in 1978, HND is located just 15 km from Tokyo's core. It is the second busiest airport in Asia and the fourth busiest in the world.

"We are excited to be part of the YVR family," said Yuji Hirako, Senior Vice President of ANA, The Americas. "Haneda is conveniently located in the heart of the metropolitan Tokyo. ANA offers better connectivity at Haneda not only to the customers who travel between Canada and Tokyo, but also those who travel to other regional cities within Japan." 

Japan and British Columbia have a long and significant history of cultural and economic links. As the world's third-largest economy, Japan offers B.C. businesses many opportunities to increase exports by taking advantage of its high demand for energy resources, raw materials, seafood and international education. In 2012, $101 million worth of B.C. exports left YVR for Japan, making it the third largest market, by value, served from the airport.

"This new air service from Japan further strengthens our already excellent air connections to Asia," said B.C. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone. "Attracting new air passenger and cargo routes is a key pillar of our Pacific Gateway Transportation Strategy and the BC Jobs Plan. With All Nippon Airways now touching down in Vancouver, business travellers and tourists will have better access to more destinations in B.C., Canada, Japan and Asia."

The 350 new jobs created by ANA's new service add to the 1,494 local jobs already created by existing flights to Japan from YVR. In total, YVR's three daily flights to Japan will generate an estimated $64.8 million in wages, $36.1 million in taxes and $99.3 million in added Gross Domestic Product for the province. With more than 23,600 people working on Sea Island, YVR is one of British Columbia's key economic and employment generators.

ANA's new service to YVR will use Boeing 767-300 aircraft, with capacity for 214 passengers. Flights arrive to YVR at 2:55 PM and depart at 4:55 PM.

About Vancouver Airport Authority
Vancouver Airport Authority is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that manages Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Canada's second busiest airport, YVR served a record 17.97 million passengers in 2013. Fifty-three airlines serve YVR, connecting people and businesses to more than 109 non-stop destinations worldwide. YVR was voted Best Airport in North America, and Best Airport in the World for its size category of 10-20 million passengers, in the 2014 Skytrax World Airport Awards. Vancouver Airport Authority is a dedicated community partner and in 2013 donated more than $700,000 to local organizations. We are committed to creating an airport that British Columbia can be proud of: a premier global gateway, local economic generator and community contributor. For more information, please visit www.yvr.ca.

About All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the ninth largest airline in the world by revenues (2012) and the largest in Japan by passenger numbers (2012). Founded in 1952, ANA flies today to 31 international destinations and 50 domestic cities with a fleet of 232 aircraft serving a network of 175 routes. ANA has 14,000 employees. In 2012, it carried 45 million passengers and generated revenues of $15.8 bn. ANA has been a core member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint-ventures with United Airlines on trans-Pacific and Asia routes and with Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines on Japan-Europe routes. Its Frequent Flyer Program, ANA Mileage Club, has more than 24 million members. ANA was voted Airline of the Year for 2013 by Air Transport World Magazines, and was awarded five stars by the world's leading Airline and Airport review site, SKYTRAX. ANA is the launch customer and biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

SOURCE: Vancouver Airport Authority

YVR Media Relations, 604.880.9815, [email protected], www.yvr.ca, Twitter: @yvrairport