All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced firm orders for four DHC8-400 turboprop airliners from Bombardier Inc. of Toronto Canada.

Air Nippon Network (A-Net, President and CEO: Toshimitsu So), a fully owned subsidiary of Air Nippon (ANK), one of the ANA group airline, will operate DHC8-400 between Osaka (Itami) and Kochi on the island of Shikoku in autumn 2003.

A-net will double Osaka - Kochi service to 15 roundtrips a day with four DHC8-400s, the brand new high-speed turboprops by 2005. Currently, ANK operates 7 flights a day with Boeing 737-500 and Airbus 320.

“ANA’s aim is to develop a new business utilizing landing slots appropriated for propeller aircraft at Osaka’s Itami airport and our experience has proven the DHC8-400 to be the best match for the job,” said Yoji Ohashi, ANA’s president and CEO.

A-Net was established on April 27, 2001 and operates from Sapporo’s Okadama airport to destinations within Hokkaido(Kushiro, Hakodate, Monbetsu) and between Tokyo’s Haneda airport and Ohshima island with a total of seven roundtrip flights a day.

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