Tokyo and Lake Forest, CA | July 23, 2014– Skymark Airlines, Japan’s third largest airline, has chosen Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s (‘Panasonic’) global connectivity service, eXConnect, to provide its passengers with free-of-charge in-flight Wi-Fi service.

Passengers will be able to stay on top of current events as they surf the web, keep in touch with friends and family through their social networks, and even check email and send the latest edits to their upcoming sales presentation to their colleagues – all at 35,000 feet.

For domestic routes, Skymark Airlines will introduce this free service on its fleet of new Airbus A330s. They will also expect to offer this same free-of-charge Wi-Fi experience on their international A380 fleet that will be initially flying to North America.

Mr. Shinichi Nishikubo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Skymark Airlines said, “Our customers love in-flight Wi-Fi, and today, we are taking a strategic step forward to ensure that our passengers can be both entertained and productive everywhere our aircraft fly. We look forward to launching this extremely exciting service with our partners at Panasonic Avionics.”

Paul Margis, President and Chief Executive Officer for Panasonic said, “We continue to see rising demand for connectivity from airlines across the globe because today’s travellers expect to be perpetually connected — even when they fly. We are honored to have been chosen by Skymark to support their unique business model and their vision for in-flight entertainment.”

• A330 confirms its position as Asia’s favourite wide-body

Toulouse, France | February 28, 2014– Skymark Airlines, Japan’s third largest airline has taken delivery of the first two A330-300s out of a total of ten on lease. Skymark Airlines becomes the first Japanese carrier to operate Airbus’ market leading, A330 wide-body aircraft.

Skymark Airlines’ A330s, configured in a very high comfort, all ”Green Seat” cabin with 271 seats, will start scheduled flights in April 2014 from Tokyo Haneda to Fukuoka. Skymark Airlines has also announced plans for A330-300 services from Tokyo Haneda to Sapporo and Naha at a later date.

Shinichi Nishikubo, President of Skymark Airlines, said:  “We are confident that with these cost-efficient, reliable A330-300s in our fleet, we will grow our business and win market share by attracting passengers who demand only the highest levels of comfort. Together with our A380s to come, we confirm Skymark’s intention to remain at the forefront of our market, having one of Japan’s youngest, most modern fuel-efficient fleets.”

John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, said, “The A330 is the most popular wide-body aircraft in Asia and we welcome Skymark Airlines to our expanding family of A330 operators in this fast growing, dynamic market. We also look forward to seeing Skymark Airlines succeed with their A330’s thanks to the aircraft’s unbeatable economics, versatility and best-in-class passenger comfort.”

The A330-300 received Validation Type Certificate (VTC) from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in January 2014. Skymark Airlines signed a Flight Hour Services (FHS) components contract with Airbus covering support for all of 10 leased A330 aircraft.  Airbus Customer Services will provide spare parts availability guaranteed through an extensive scope of more than 700 line replaceable units. Skymark Airlines’ A330s will be equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.

Airbus’ comprehensive, modern wide-body Family is the market leader in Asia, having outsold the competition by two to one over the last five years. Over half of the wide-body aircraft to be delivered in the future to Asian carriers are Airbus aircraft.

The A330 Family, which spans 250 to 300 seats, and includes Freighter, VIP, and Military Transport/Tanker variants, has now attracted more than 1,300 orders, with over 1,000 aircraft flying with more than 100 operators worldwide. The A330 is one of the world’s most efficient aircraft with best in class operating economics. With numerous ongoing product improvements, it still remains the most cost-efficient and capable aircraft, averaging dispatch reliability well above 99 percent.

– Japan’s first airline to choose the advantages of the 737 MAX

Le Bourget, France | June 17, 2013– Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Tokyo-based Skymark Airlines (Skymark) today announced the airline’s intent to select the Boeing 737 MAX as its next generation single aisle aircraft of choice, making it Japan’s first airline to do so. The announcement came on the first day of the 2013 Paris Air Show. Boeing will work closely with Skymark to finalize a firm order in the coming months.

“We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Boeing and work together on the renewal of our single-aisle fleet,” said Shinichi Nishikubo, president and CEO of Skymark Airlines. “The Next-Generation 737 has been a key driver of our successful growth, and we are sure that the 737 MAX will provide us with even greater efficiency and competitive edge as we move into the next stage of expansion.”

Based at its Haneda Airport hub in Tokyo, Skymark Airlines currently operates a fleet of 30 Next-Generation 737-800s on a lease from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and other lessors.

“Skymark is a pioneer in Japan’s commercial aviation market as they continue to introduce new and innovative airplanes,” said John Wojick, Senior Vice President of Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Under Mr. Nishikubo’s leadership, Skymark became the first airline in Japan to bring the innovative Boeing Sky Interior to the travelling public onboard its fleet of Next Generation 737-800 airplanes. And now Skymark is poised to become Japan’s first airline to enjoy the superior economic performance and environmental advantages of the 737 MAX.”

The 737 MAX builds on the strengths of the world’s best-selling Next-Generation 737. The 737 MAX incorporates the latest-technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market. Airlines operating the 737 MAX will see a 13 percent fuel-use improvement over today’s most fuel-efficient single-aisle airplanes.