JAL says ‘kekoudesu’ to A380

Japan Airlines is retiring its 747s and simplifying its fleet around three Boeing models (737s, 777s and 787s). Given that, it has absolutely no interest in Airbus’ A380, Haruka Nishimatsu, the airline’s new top executive, said Friday.

Airbus would seriously love to get Japanese orders for the A380, Bloomberg News reports. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000101&sid=aFe6GEhMJUcU&refer=japan

Key Quote: “Airbus is pitching the A380 to Asian airlines for long-haul routes. … Last November, Airbus’s Japan President Glen Fukushima said he was confident he would win orders in Japan for the A380.”

But Nishimatsu said the plane doesn’t make sense for his airline, AFX reported. So, thanks but no thanks. http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2006/05/12/afx2741357.html

Key Quote: “‘It is an iron rule for us to move to smaller aircraft to minimize risk,’ he said … ‘Also considering high oil prices, fuel consumption increases dramatically in long-distance flights,’ he told reporters. ‘If large planes fill up, it would be alright but otherwise the fuel cost becomes a risk.’”