Port of Seattle Welcomes All Nippon Airways Nonstop Flights To Tokyo With Boeing 787

The Port of Seattle welcomes today's announcement that All Nippon Airways (ANA) of Japan chose Seattle to be one of the initial international destinations for their Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In a Tokyo press conference today, ANA Group President and CEO Shinichiro Ito announced the company's intent to inaugurate nonstop service to Sea-Tac Airport from their Tokyo Narita hub from fiscal year 2012 onwards.

"I'm pleased to see the result of our region's workforce, the Boeing 787, become a regular fixture at Sea-Tac Airport," Gov. Chris Gregoire said. "And any time we open new doors to the rest of the world, our entire state benefits. We create new opportunities for business and travel - which ensures a strong economy for Washington state."

"ANA coming to Sea-Tac is just one more way the Port of Seattle generates family wage jobs in King County," said Bill Bryant, Port of Seattle Commission President. "ANA's decision reinforces Seattle's status as a global gateway and connects Sea-Tac to Boeing's newest and greenest aircraft."

Mr. Shinichiro Ito, ANA Group President and CEO said, "We are very pleased to announce the launch of long-haul international services from Tokyo to Seattle. This city is an important destination on the U.S. West Coast and is home to companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks and, of course, Boeing itself. We are confident that passenger demand to fly to Seattle will be high, not only in Japan but other Asian cities."

ANA is positioning its new Tokyo-Seattle service to play a key role in its strategic initiatives of long-haul expansion as part of their 2012 business plans. In addition, the service is expected to connect passengers to convenient connections including Nagoya, Sapporo and Fukuoka in Japan as well as ANA's international network to cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Bangkok.

"As the closest and most convenient U.S. gateway to Asia, we are pleased to be selected as the first North American city to receive 787 service by the aircraft's launch customer, ANA," said Mark Reis, Managing Director of Sea-Tac Airport. "Furthermore, with ANA's reach to major cities in Japan, we expect to see growth of traffic from many corners of that country."

ANA configures its international long-haul 787 with 158 seats - 46 full-flat business class seats and 112 economy class seats. Built mainly from carbon fiber composite material, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner raises the bar for fuel efficiency and passenger comfort. The 787 is projected to use 20% less fuel, meaning it is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes while cutting carbon emissions. Other innovations include passenger-friendly cabin air pressure, 30% larger windows that automatically dim, and the largest overhead compartments in the industry.