Skymark Airlines Inc., the only Japanese carrier to order Airbus Group NV A380s, predicts a return to profit next fiscal year as it adds the European plane maker's midsize jets and superjumbos to its fleet.
The airline will start flights with A330s in April and with the A380 as early as December, Chief Financial Officer Masakazu Arimori said in an interview in Tokyo Wednesday. That will help boost sales to more than ¥100 billion in the year starting April, he said.
Skymark will seek loans from the European Credit Agency to pay for about 70 percent of the first two A380s as a weakened yen pushes up fuel costs and squeezes finances, Arimori said. The Tokyo-based carrier's order for six superjumbos, including options, is critical for Airbus to build its footprint in Japan, a market Boeing Co. has dominated as a near monopoly for decades.
"The international routes will give sales in dollars and work as a natural hedge," Arimori said.