ANA Holdings expects the Southeast Asian market to be a new growth driver in the post-pandemic recovery of leisure travel demand, with plans to launch a new service to and from Thailand under its low-cost-carrier brand AirJapan.
A Narita-Bangkok route will start in February next year as the first AirJapan service, with six round-trip flights a week.
The one-way fare will start from ¥15,500 ($108), slightly higher than that of another ANA group LCC, Peach Aviation.
The airline will also offer higher-priced services with various meal choices and different checked baggage allowances.
The price range has been set to draw families in Southeast Asia who want service quality higher than that of LCCs. AirJapan provides more legroom and better meal options on its 324-seat Boeing 787-8 aircraft, ANA said.
Meals that passengers can select in advance include Japanese dishes such as a chicken and egg rice bowl and sushi.
The airline said it will consider adding more routes in the future, such as those from Kansai International Airport in western Japan.
ANA has said it expects the low-cost operation of AirJapan to generate profits from services that could be unprofitable if offered by the full-service airline.
The group's other LCC service, Peach Aviation, is more focused on domestic routes but has expanded into international services, offering flights to such destinations as Bangkok, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei.
Foreign visitors to Japan have surged since the government lifted its COVID-19 border control measures in late April. A weaker yen has also made Japan a more attractive travel destination, ANA said.