TOKYO: Sky-mark Airlines said Friday that it has signed a firm contract to buy up to six Airbus A380 jetliners, makes it the first Japanese carrier to purchase the double-decker super-jumbo aircraft.
Sky-mark is aiming to go head-to-head with Japan's
two dominant carriers
Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) and stunned the industry last year when it ordered the A380s at a cost of $2.8 billion.
For Airbus, the deal gives the European firm a foothold in
a market where US rival Boeing has long had
a near-monopoly
"Sky-mark Airlines Inc. signed a firm contract with Airbus
SAS for purchase of Airbus A380s on Thursday" in Toulouse,
France, where Airbus is
Head-quartered, the Japanese carrier said in a statement.
The airline ordered six A380s, including two on an optional basis, it said.
The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in
2014 and will be deployed on international routes.
The Japanese discount airline operator will use the six
Jet-liners to operate its international passenger services linking Tokyo's Narita airport and three destinations, New York, to
London and Frankfurt, scheduled around the fiscal year ending
March 2015.
If the services prove successful, Sky-mark plans to expand its service routes and will boost its
A380 fleets.
Sky-mark, based at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport,
has been operating since 1998 and currently offer domestic route, offering lower fares than two major Japanese carrier.
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