Congratulations on your appointment. What are your priorities as CEO, how have they changed with the ongoing war on Iran, and what in your view is the biggest impact for Zipair?
Our top priorities are preserving the New Basic philosophy, evolving through technology, and further strengthening safety.
We will refine our model to allow customers to select only the services they need, while simultaneously enhancing customer value and efficiency through the digitalisation of operations and maintenance, including the implementation of Starlink (operated by SpaceX to provide free high-speed Internet connectivity onboard).
Given the geopolitical risks, including the situation in Iran, fuel cost resilience has become a growing priority. This is not an issue unique to Zipair, but facing the entire aviation industry, and we must closely monitor future developments.
And the greatest impact on longhaul LCCs is the increased cost and uncertainty resulting from fuel prices and airspace restrictions.
While longhaul LCCs have been made possible through rigorous cost-cutting and efficient operations, the current situation is extremely challenging.
Although Zipair’s routes are not affected by airspace restrictions, soaring fuel prices remain a significant burden. Nevertheless, Zipair remains committed to further strengthening our ongoing cost-cutting efforts and operational efficiency to continue offering tickets at affordable prices to our customers.
Is Zipair on track to expand its fleet from eight to 20 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners by 2030, and which cities are being considered for route expansion?
Progress is on schedule. We plan to add two B787-8 aircraft in fiscal year 2026, increasing the fleet from eight to 10. In the medium- to long-term, we will phase in the B787-9 starting in 2027, with the goal of doubling the scale of our operations by early 2030s.
The decision to add B787-8s is based on network strategy and demand profiles. The company maintains a consistent policy that standardisation within the B787 family (synergies in range, fuel efficiency, maintenance, and operations) contributes to cost efficiency and operational stability.
Route expansion is starting with Kuala Lumpur within 2026, and we will prioritise major cities in Asia, North America, and Oceania where strong two-way demand for travel to Japan is anticipated, and which are suitable for the B787’s range.
Selection criteria include demand volume, seasonality, slot availability, potential for direct sales, and opportunities for partnership collaboration.
In addition to scheduled flights, we plan to continue operating charter flights with flexibility, utilising our aircraft resources, starting with the Las Vegas charter flight in June, announced earlier this month.
How much has JAL invested in the subsidiary to date, how much is being allocated for the next phase of expansion, and what contribution has Zipair made since launching passenger services in 2020?
Zipair, has received total capital of approximately 20 billion yen (US$125.80 million), including the preparatory phase prior to the commencement of operations.
In the next expansion phase, an additional investment of around 10 billion yen is planned to support network expansion, fleet augmentation, and enhancements to digital services.
Launched in 2020 during the pandemic, when many other airlines were pulling back operations, Zipair overcame initial losses to turn a healthy profit from 2023 as passenger demand recovered.
You describe Zipair as the airline of the future – lean, tech-enabled and focused on delivering value to passengers and partners. What innovations are you exploring to further personalise and scale the Zipair experience sustainably?
First: safety. We will utilise the newly introduced Starlink to address the most critical aspect of safety – ensuring that passengers are safely transported to their destinations, which is the fundamental mission of an airline.
For example, by sharing real-time weather information between the aircraft and ground control, we will be able to select safer and more efficient flight routes.
Secondly: service. We will use Starlink to create an environment where passengers can freely enjoy their time on board, thereby realising our goal of “making the flight feel shorter”.
We aim to make activities that were previously only possible on the ground, available in the air as well. This is the New Basic we aspire to achieve.
Third: operation. With the introduction of the new MacBook Pro within all Zipair aircraft, cabin attendants can deploy in-flight services more stably and quickly, consolidating multiple devices into one, thereby streamlining flight preparation.
Passengers can also easily access the in-flight portal without a dedicated app, reducing the workload for attendants. Future development of crew support features is expected to enhance operational support.
Everyone is talking about AI and agentic AI. What is Zipair exploring in this area, and what are you hoping to achieve beyond automation?
While we cannot provide specific details on implementation projects at this time, we strongly believe in empowering our employees with technology to help them serve our customers better.
AI is undoubtedly a key area of focus, and plans are currently underway internally. We view AI as an indispensable foundational technology for taking our long-standing commitment to cost reduction and operational efficiency to the next level.
We believe it will contribute to achieving our goals of streamlining operations and improving productivity, enhancing quality and consistency, increasing safety and resilience, and refining the customer experience, in addition to providing autonomous support for multi-stage tasks.
The travel industry has spent the last decade optimising for discovery. But the next phase of growth will be won at the point of decision – and that is where the industry is underperforming.
She joins from Air New Zealand, where she is currently general manager Australia. O’Brien also previously held senior roles with Experience Co and Hamilton Island Enterprises.
