ANA Moves On from SpaceJet at the 2025 Paris Air Show

‍PARIS — ANA Holdings (NH) confirmed firm orders for 15 Embraer E190-E2 regional jets (with options for five more) and 27 Airbus A321neos, including three of the XLR variant and 10 for its low-cost division, Peach Aviation (MM). The decision announced at the first day of the 2025 Paris Air Show reflects a shift in NH’s fleet planning following the collapse of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet program, for which ANA had once been the launch customer.

The Embraer E190-E2 marks the airline’s first introduction of the E2 family in Japan, with deliveries starting in 2028. These aircraft are intended to serve ANA’s domestic network, where demand varies significantly across routes. With seating for approximately 110 passengers, the E190-E2 enables NH to right-size its capacity and improve load factors on thinner regional routes.

The Airbus A321neo and XLR variants will expand medium-haul capability, especially for NH’s low-cost carrier Peach, enabling it to serve longer routes within Asia. The XLR’s extended range—up to 4,700 nautical miles—opens up potential destinations, such as India, Southeast Asia, or northern Australia, from Japanese secondary cities.

These orders come in addition to NH’s previously announced acquisition of 18 Boeing 787-9 and 12 Boeing 737-8 aircraft earlier in 2025, positioning the airline to manage a diversified network strategy across wide-body, narrow-body, and regional operations.

Lessons Learnt from the SpaceJet Program

ANA’s recent decisions are shaped by the failure of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet program. Launched as the MRJ in 2008, it was Japan’s first commercial aircraft development project in over 50 years. NH had placed 15 firm orders and was expected to take its first delivery in 2013. However, technical and certification delays repeatedly pushed back the timeline. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries eventually suspended the program in 2020 and formally canceled it in 2023 after spending more than ¥350 billion (approximately US$ 3.2 billion).

According to IATA, the Asia-Pacific region is projected to experience average passenger traffic growth of 4–5% annually through 2035. In Japan, domestic air travel is continuing to recover from pandemic-era lows, although demand remains uneven across regions. Deploying smaller aircraft, such as the E190-E2, offers NH greater flexibility to adapt to these fluctuations without incurring excess costs.

The A321neo family, meanwhile, has become a global workhorse for medium-haul operations. Its fuel efficiency and range have made it the preferred option for airlines replacing aging narrowbodies or expanding into markets that were previously unviable for widebodies.

ANA’s new aircraft commitments reflect a strategic reset based on operational efficiency, market demand, and risk mitigation. The orders announced at Paris suggest a more modular, data-driven approach to fleet management—one grounded in lessons learned from the SpaceJet’s failure.

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