ANA reduces international capacity 4% in 2H for 787 engine inspections

ANA has adjusted its six-month flight schedule that should allow it to operate without more disruptions because of Boeing 787 engine checks. The Japanese carrier said international capacity will be 4% lower than previously planned for the six months from Oct. 1, which is its fiscal second half. This will make capacity essentially flat compared to the same period last year. Domestic capacity will be 1% higher than planned, and up 2% year-on-year. ANA is one of the airlines affected by issues of fatigue and cracking identified with some Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines. The requirement to conduct extra inspections caused the carrier to announce a series of flight cancellations in recent months. The airline “considered factors such as the impact of the required Rolls-Royce engine inspections and determined the optimum allocation of its resources for the second half of FY2018,” ANA said. “Therefore, the company does not anticipate further flight cancellations and inconveniences … due to the engine inspections.” A handful of international route suspensions and frequency reductions will be made in the six-month period, although some of these will be resumed from February. ANA said the changes are also designed to help it respond to “robust” business travel demand, and strong inbound demand from China and elsewhere in Asia. <br/>