Japan is a strategic country for Airbus, with a growing presence in every sector of the market and an increasingly strong industrial footprint.
Commercial Aircraft
Today, the Airbus customer base in Japan includes All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan Airlines (JAL) and Starflyer. Airbus aircraft are also the preferred choice of low-cost carriers in Japan, flying with Jetstar Japan and Peach Aviation.
Some 120 Airbus aircraft are in the current fleets of airlines in the country, including the A320 Family, A350 and A380. In the low-cost sector in Japan, Airbus today enjoys over 90 per cent market share.
Meanwhile, the Japanese financial market remains a key partner for Airbus in providing innovative and competitive financing to airlines.
Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters leads the Japanese market with over 50% market share in the civil and parapublic sectors, and over 370 helicopters in service with 100 customers.
Airbus Helicopters has more than 60 years of long-standing partnership with Japan. Airbus Helicopters Japan is the only foreign manufacturer in Japan that has maintenance facilities. Its Kobe facility also acts as the Asia-Pacific regional hub for engineering, blade repair, and H135 helicopter training, equipped with a full flight simulator.
Defence and Space
Airbus Defence and Space has been active in Japan for more than 30 years in the field of data and intelligence gathering by both optical and radar (SAR) satellites for various purposes.
Airbus is also contributing to Japan’s successful space sector by supplying state-of-the-art sub systems and equipment/components for a wide variety of Japanese space missions. At the same time, Airbus continues to develop similar cooperation with several newly established Japanese space startups.
Industrial partnerships
More than 100 major Japanese companies are working with Airbus on various programmes. Partners include some of Japan’s most reputable industrial names, including JAMCO, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, ShinMaywa, Teijin and Toray.
One of the largest collaborative projects with Japan has been the joint development and production, with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, of the H145 / BK117 twin engine light utility helicopter.
In 2022, Airbus launched an MoU under the “Hydrogen Hub at Airports” programme to jumpstart research into infrastructure requirements and low-carbon airport operations, across the entire value chain in Japan. Airbus is working in partnership with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kansai Airports and ANA Holdings to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry.
Research and Technology (R&T) is another area where there has been cooperation between Japan and Airbus. Airbus has worked with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and other institutions and universities. This strong ties between Japan and European organisations have been key for all mutual parties to diversify and strengthen their own industrial cooperation.
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