News
Vanilla Air builds secondary base at Taoyuan
July 22nd 2016
All Nippon Airways (ANA) low-cost off subsidiary, Vanilla Air, will launch daily fifth freedom flights between Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport and Ho Chi Minh City from September 14. Read More » Launched in 2013, Vanilla Air operates nine Narita-based A320s to eight destinations: Amami O Shima, Naha, Sapporo, Kaohsiung, Taipei and Hong Kong, as well as flights from Naha and Osaka to Taipei.
The carrier told Orient Aviation it planned four more international destinations in its network during the current financial year after it received three additional A320s up to March 30, but it ruled out any long-haul routes in the short- and medium-term. “We have studied B777 and A330 [aircraft]. The biggest problem is how to get pilot rating, so at this moment we cannot do that,” the airline said.
However, the carrier’s management said it is interested in the A321LR for longer-range operations, given its commonality with its current A320 fleet.It said growing internationally would be easier than expanding domestically, given slot constraints at many of Japan’s major gateways.
Vanilla earns 7% of its revenues from ancillary sales and is “targeting over 10%”. Check-in baggage accounts for most of its ancillary earnings. Vanilla Air and parent ANA do not currently interline.
