TOKYO: Struggling Japanese budget carrier Skymark Airlines said yesterday it was considering asking for help from domestic giant All Nippon Airways, even while eyeing a tie-up with ANA’s rival Japan Airlines (JAL).
“We are considering asking for assistance” from ANA, Skymark spokesman Hiroyuki Sakata said.
Skymark could ask for code-sharing as the main pillar of that help as is the case with ongoing talks with JAL, he said by telephone.
Selling flights under JAL or ANA’s codes would help reduce vacant seats.
The news on possible support from the nation’s two biggest carriers boosted Skymark shares by 8.65 percent to 251 yen.
The Nikkei economic daily had reported Skymark planned to get ANA on board because the transport ministry is reluctant to let JAL be the sole saviour.
But the Skymark spokesman said it was the company’s own decision to seek assistance from ANA. “We need to rehabilitate our management urgently and are considering every possible measure,” Sakata said.
Skymark has struggled to offer the kind of heavily discounted fares of overseas no-frills carriers due to high operating costs, and has suffered from the plethora of new entrants into the sector.
It is bracing for a net loss of 13.68bn yen ($114m) for the year to March. AFP
