Hokkaido Air System
IATA ICAO Callsign
6L NTH NORTH AIR
Founded30 September 1997 (1997-09-30)
Commenced operations1998 (1998)
HubsSapporo Okadama Airport
Frequent-flyer programJAL Mileage Bank
AllianceOneworld (affiliate)
Fleet size4
Destinations6
Parent companyJapan Airlines (57.3%)
HeadquartersHigashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Key peopleYoichiro Kuwano (President)
Employees98 (31 March 2017)[1]
Websitewww.info.hac-air.co.jp

Hokkaido Air System Co., Ltd. (株式会社北海道エアシステム, Kabushiki-gaisha Hokkaidō Ea Shisutemu), or HAC, is a regional airline that operates scheduled services in Hokkaidō and Aomori Prefecture, Japan[2] from a main base of operations at Okadama Airport in Higashi-ku, Sapporo.[3] It is a private company controlled by Japan Airlines, with 86 employees as of July 2018.[4]

History

Hokkaido Air System Saab 340B-WT JAS-era HAC livery

The airline was established in 1997, and started operations in 1998. Founded as a joint venture with the Hokkaido government and regional municipalities and businesses, it was an affiliate of Japan Air System until that airline consolidated into Japan Airlines.[5] Its headquarters were at one time located in the Terminal Building of New Chitose Airport in Chitose, Hokkaidō, Japan.[6]

HAC's initial routes in 1998 were Chitose-Hakodate, Hakodate-Asahikawa, Hakodate-Kushiro and Asahikawa-Kushiro, followed by Chitose-Kushiro and Hakodate-Memanbetsu in 1999 and Hakodate-Sendai in 2001. It began Okadama service in 2003 with service to Hakodate and Kushiro, for a total of nine routes. HAC also served Monbetsu from Chitose and Okadama in 2005–06.[7] Air Hokkaido ceased operations on 31 March 2006 and its sole route, Hakodate-Okushiri, was taken over the next day by Hokkaido Air System.[8]

HAC left the Japan Airlines group at the end of fiscal year 2010 (March 2011) as part of the corporate restructuring of JAL. JAL retained a 14% stake in the airline, making it the second-largest shareholder after the Hokkaido prefectural government.[9] Japan Airlines ceased ticket handling and reservation services for HAC flights effective September 1, 2011.[10] The Hokkaido prefectural government and various local governments continued to subsidize HAC services to various smaller cities in the prefecture.[11]

HAC recorded losses of 296 million yen and had negative equity of 116 million yen in the fiscal year ending March 2013, and took several measures to improve its performance, including resuming codesharing with JAL and starting service from Sapporo to Misawa in July 2013.[11] It was revealed in August 2013 that Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers in the Hokkaido government had been pushing JAL to once again take over HAC.[9] As of December, JAL and the Hokkaido government were reportedly in negotiations to make HAC a subsidiary of JAL, as part of which JAL and Hokkaido government would each pay off half of HAC's excess debt, with the Hokkaido government possibly doing so by cancelling part of its 360 million yen loan claim against the airline.[12] The transaction was announced in October 2014.[13] In October 2016, HAC consolidated its flight numbers and reservations system with the JAL group.[14]

Destinations

Two Hokkaido Air System Saab 340B-WT aircraft at Okadama Airport, in former green and white livery (foreground) and former JAL group 'Arc of the Sun' livery (background)
The terminal building of Okadama Airport, the location of the former HAC headquarters

Hokkaido Air System operates services to the following destinations:[2]

City Airport Notes Refs
SapporoOkadama AirportHub
RishirifujiRishiri Airport
MemanbetsuMemanbetsu Airport
KushiroKushiro Airport
HakodateHakodate Airport
OkushiriOkushiri Airport
MisawaMisawa Airport
Nemuro-NakashibetsuNemuro Nakashibetsu AirportBegins 29 October 2023

Fleet

Current fleet

As of October 2023, Hokkaido Air System operates the following aircraft:[15][16]

Hokkaido Air System fleet
Aircraft In fleet Orders Passengers Notes
ATR 42-600 4 1 48

Former fleet

Hokkaido Air System has previously operated the following aircraft:

Hokkaido Air System former fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Replacement
Saab 340B 3[16] 1998 2021 ATR 42-600

References

  1. ↑ "Hac 北海道エアシステム：企業情報".
  2. 1 2 "Route Map." Hokkaido Air System.
  3. ↑ "会社概要." Hokkaido Air System. Retrieved on December 3, 2013. "〒007-0880　札幌市東区丘珠町 丘珠空港内"
  4. ↑ "HAC 北海道エアシステム：企業情報". HAC 北海道エアシステム (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  5. ↑ "2002/11/15 Interim Financial Information Archived 2012-02-15 at the Wayback Machine." Japan Airlines.
  6. ↑ "会社概要." Hokkaido Air System. Retrieved on May 19, 2009. "本社事務所 ： 千歳市美々新千歳空港ターミナルビル内"
  7. ↑ "北海度エアシステム経営改革案報告書" (PDF). HAC経営検討委員会. June 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 57.
  9. 1 2 "北海道「ＨＡＣの負担重く」再子会社化を要請へ". 日本経済新聞. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013. 日航は2010年度末までＨＡＣの51％の株式を持つ親会社だった。10年１月の会社更生法適用申請を前に、09年９月にＨＡＣからの経営撤退を表明。11年中に大半を手放したが、現在も道庁（約36％）に次ぐ約14％の株を持つ。
  10. ↑ "Termination of JAL reservation and ticket handling for flights operated by HAC (Hokkaido Air System) Archived 2011-06-25 at the Wayback Machine." Japan Airlines. Retrieved on July 21, 2011.
  11. 1 2 "日航にＨＡＣの再子会社化要請へ 北海道庁が検討". 日本経済新聞. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013. ＨＡＣは13年３月期に２億9600万円の最終赤字を計上し、１億1600万円の債務超過に陥った。再建策の一環として、７月から日航と共同運航（コードシェア）を始めたほか、丘珠―三沢（青森）線を就航している。
  12. ↑ "ＨＡＣ債務超過、北海道庁も負担へ 数千万円の債権放棄検討". 日本経済新聞. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013. 日本航空による北海道エアシステム（ＨＡＣ）の再子会社化で、道庁と日航がＨＡＣの債務超過額をそれぞれ負担し、今年度内にも解消する方向で調整していることが２日、分かった。道庁は債務超過の解消に向け、約３億６千万円あるＨＡＣへの貸付金のうち数千万円を債権放棄することなどを検討している。
  13. ↑ ＨＡＣ、路線維持へ離陸 日航が再子会社化. 日本経済新聞 電子版 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  14. ↑ "北海道エアシステム、きょうからJAL便名に 「HACフライトポイント」も終了 - トラベルメディア「Traicy（トライシー）」". トラベルメディア「Traicy（トライシー）」 (in Japanese). 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  15. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2021 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2021): 18.
  16. 1 2 "planespotters.net - Hokkaido Air System Fleet Details and History". 12 October 2022.

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