ANA and Virgin Sign Commercial Partnership Agreement

 Codeshare routes within Australia will be on sale from Jan. 21, 2020 with travel from Jan. 30, 2020 while further codeshare in Japan and Australia will commence later this spring, along with reciprocal frequent flyer benefits.  The agreement is part of both airlines’ commitment to delivering greater convenience to their customers and enhancing their international networks.

TOKYO/AUSTRALIA, Jan. 17, 2020 – (ANA) and Virgin Australia announced today that the two carriers signed a partnership agreement to enhance connectivity between Japan and Australia. Under the terms of their agreement, ANA and Virgin Australia will implement codeshare flights within Japan and Australia and introduce reciprocal frequent flyer benefits for their members. The partnership will increase convenience and comfort for passengers traveling between Australia and Japan, and increase their ability to explore both countries.

The announcement of the new comes as ANA expands its presence in Australia with the launch of its new service between Narita, Tokyo and in September 2019, and its plans to increase the frequency of its flights between Haneda, Tokyo and Sydney in summer 2020. Virgin Australia has also just started selling their -new flights between Haneda and .

“We are thrilled to partner with Virgin Australia, an award-winning airline that shares our uncompromising commitment to delivering the highest quality customer service,” said Shuichi Fujimura, Executive Vice President of ANA. “This collaborative effort will allow us to meet growing passenger demand in the region by providing greater choice and flexibility through shared resources, and furthering ANA’s commitment to expanding the Japan – Australia network.”

Virgin Australia Chief Commercial Officer, John MacLeod, said the airline is pleased to partner with ANA, as the partnership allows the carriers to deliver a high level of service for travelers.

“We are excited to commence our first flights between Brisbane and Tokyo, bringing our famous Virgin Australia service to Japanese guests. Australia is a wonderful destination with some of the world’s best beaches, an outback to explore and lots of unique wildlife, and we are so pleased to make it easier for Japanese tourists to see these amazing sights in our country,” he said.

Starting on January 30, ANA and Virgin Australia will begin codeshare on six routes within Australia, allowing ANA customers to travel seamlessly between: - Sydney and Brisbane - Sydney and

- Sydney and - Sydney and - Sydney and Gold Coast - Sydney and Adelaide

*Codeshare routes within Australia will be on sale from Jan. 21, 2020.

ANA customers will be able to travel on these Virgin Australia services with ANA tickets, having their bags checked all the way through to their destinations and with one seamless booking experience. Later this spring, the carriers will further expand their partnership by commencing domestic and international codeshare routes in Japan and Australia. As part of this expansion, ANA and Virgin Australia will provide members of their frequent flyer programs with reciprocal benefits across both airlines.

ANA and Virgin Australia acknowledge that demand for travel to Japan is increasing due to economic growth in the region as well as prominent global events set to take place in Japan during 2020. The new partnership will allow passengers to connect more seamlessly, and contribute to strengthening the relationship between Australia and Japan by facilitating travel and trade.

*Information inside this release is subject to government approval.

Contact:

ANA Corporate Communications, TEL +81-3-6735-1111, [email protected]

Virgin Australia Public Affairs, TEL +61 7 3333 9666, [email protected]

About ANA

Following the “Inspiration of Japan” high quality of service, ANA has been awarded the respected 5-Star rating every year since 2013 from . ANA is the only Japanese airline to win this prestigious designation seven years in a row. Additionally, ANA has been recognized by Air Transport World as “Airline of the Year” three times in the past 10 years - 2007, 2013 and 2018, becoming one of the few airlines winning this prestigious award for multiple times.

ANA was founded in 1952 with two helicopters and has become the largest airline in Japan, as well as one of the most significant airlines in Asia, operating 82 international routes and 120 domestic routes. ANA offers a unique dual hub model which enables passengers to travel to Tokyo and connect through the two airports in the metropolitan Tokyo, NARITA and HANEDA, to various destinations throughout Japan, and also offers same day connections between various North American, Asian and Chinese cities.

ANA has been a member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint venture partnerships with , German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and .

In addition to the full service and award-winning record of ANA, the ANA Group’s subsidiary Peach Aviation Limited is the leading LCC in Japan, and has expanded following the integration of Vanilla Air Inc. in late 2019. The ANA Group carried 54.4 million passengers in FY2018, has approximately 43,000 employees and a fleet of 260 aircraft. ANA is a proud launch customer and the biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

For more information, please refer to the following link. https://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/

About Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia is one of Australia’s leading airlines, flying more than 24 million travellers around Australia and overseas each year.

It has built a reputation for excellence in safety, on-time reliability and putting smiles on the faces of its guests.

The Virgin Australia Group portfolio includes Virgin Australia Regional Airlines, Virgin Australia Cargo, loyalty program , – its low-cost carrier and Virgin Australia Airlines. Virgin Australia Airlines operates domestic and international services allowing guests to fly to over 40 destinations and more than 450 destinations worldwide via its alliance partnerships with some of the world’s best airlines including , and .

In 2019, Virgin Australia was awarded ‘Best Domestic Airline’ at Federation of Travel Agents National Travel Industry Awards and Best Cabin Crew and Best by Airline Rating’s Airline Excellence Awards.

Virgin Australia is a proud Australian airline and its strategy is to reduce the overall climate impact of air travel and be a force for good in the places its guests work, live and fly. It led a trial at testing sustainable aviation fuels and promotes, grows and protects Australians through partnerships with Greening Australia and OzHarvest, mental health charities R U OK? and Black Dog Institute, and the Starlight Children’s Foundation. It also transports AFL and Supercars teams and their fans across the country every season.