ANA Holdings is ramping up the merger of sales and warehousing operations of recent acquisition Nippon Cargo Airlines and its ANA Cargo business in order to strengthen the competitiveness of its cargo business.
The integration will begin on 1 April and will see the NCA and ANA Cargo sales structure outside of Japan merged so that customers will have a single point of contact across the network, regardless of the carrier.
The two airlines will also merge warehouse operations in Japan, initially at Chubu Centrair International Airport
Airport and Kansai International Airport, so there is a single place for cargo pick-up and drop-off.
Cargo operations outside of Japan will also begin to be brought together to create more efficient operations.
Consolidation will begin with the arrival cargo operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Additional unification of sales structures in Japan and further consolidation of warehouse operations across
domestic and international airports are currently under consideration, ANA Holdings said.
However, the company stressed that NCA would maintain its Air Transport Business License and Air Operator Certificate.
Since late last year, ANA and NCA have been integrating their cargo networks to avoid duplication and have launched a codeshare agreement to provide access to capacity on their respective aircraft.
Boeing 767Fs will be deployed on Asia routes, while Boeing 777Fs and 747Fs will be primarily utilised for routes to North America and Europe.
“This integration aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the ANA Group’s cargo business by combining the
expertise of ANA Cargo as a combination carrier with the specialised know-how of NCA and NCA Japan as dedicated freighter operators,” ANA Holdings said in a statement.
“By further enhancing the synergy between its passenger flight network and freighter operations, the group will provide end-to-end solutions—integrating everything from sales to flight operations and cargo handling.
“This will allow the group to be more responsive to customer needs and the rapidly changing market, ultimately delivering even greater convenience and value to its customers.”
ANA said it hopes the reorganisation will support the group’s goal of achieving Y30bn in integration and synergy effects.
“By combining NCA’s dedicated freighter network with ANA’s international passenger network, the group aims to become Asia’s leading combination carrier while delivering greater flexibility, reliability and value to customers,” the company added.
ANA completed the takeover of NCA from NYK in August last year. The acquisition positioned the group as Japan’s largest combination passenger and cargo carrier.
