All Nippon Airways Co. will delay the retirement of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet and three smaller aircraft due to the grounding of its 787 Dreamliner fleet, its officials said Saturday.
ANA initially planned to retire the 747 in April and the three other planes, Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 jets, between March and May, but the move will be now postponed to June or later, the officials said.
The four aircraft are currently being used for domestic services due to the global grounding of all Boeing Dreamliners following battery problems. The number of 787 cancellations will reach 3,601 through the end of May, according to ANA.
The airline is also seeking to introduce three Boeing 777 jets earlier than planned to minimize the impact of its grounded Dreamliners. ANA had originally intended to introduce them in fiscal 2013, which starts April 1, but one of the aircraft is scheduled for delivery by the end of March.