Due to a recent tourism boom and cheaper oil prices, Japan’s two biggest airlines recently posted strong sets of financial profits for the just-ended fiscal year.

ANA Holdings Inc. achieved a 39 per cent increase in its operating project, earning JPY 91.5 billion on revenue of JPY 1.713 trillion last fiscal year. Japan Airlines Co. reported an increase of 8 per cent in its profit to JPY 179.7 billion on revenue of JPY 1.345 trillion.

“In the past, demand tended to be weak during fourth quarters, but thanks to a large number of foreign visitors to Japan and falls in oil prices, our (fourth-quarter) operating profit turned to black for the first time in three years,” said Yuji Hirako, senior vice president, ANA Holdings.

In terms of traffic, All Nippon Airways remains strong in the domestic market, carrying more than 43 million passengers on intra-Japanese routes, while Japan Airlines carried approximately 31.6 million for the 12-month period. As for international traffic, JAL handled more passengers, carrying 7.8 million compared to ANA’s 7.2 million.

The number of monthly foreign visitors to Japan reached 1.5 million for the first time in March, according to recent data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation. The country aims to attract 20 million people annually by 2020 when Tokyo hosts the Summer Olympics.

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