AirJapan reveals more of its brand proposition including interiors and uniforms

AirJapan revealed its Landor livery and brand last year, but not much was known about the brand beyond the exterior. Last week, however the airline revealed the carrier’s interior image and uniforms that will go some way in building the inflight passenger experience.

AirJapan will be the new medium-haul international brand, as part of ANA, as such the airline that’s somewhere between a low-cost and full service carrier (think JetStar) will offer nothing but economy seating onboard its fleet of Dreamliner aircraft. AirJapan intends to begin operating flights in February 2024 and expand its network over time, focusing on destinations within Asia.

The cabin and seats were designed by Acumen Associates – the same agency that brought ANA’s latest cabins to life. The cabin will be configured with 324 economy class seats by Safran made of premium Japanese faux leather, renowned for its lightweight, durable and soft texture. With a generous seat pitch of 32 inches and recline feature, “the seat design will allow passengers to unwind and experience optimal comfort in-flight,” states ANA’s AirJapan.

The design agency explored a design language evoking the Japanese spirit and defined some key design principles that helped to inform the CMF direction across the cabin. The new identity ‘sunrise colour’ is a rarely seen muted pink in cabin interiors. The colour however is a highlight to an otherwise smart, dark charcoal interior palette. “Our design approach looked at using a dark grey Ultraleather and matching dark grey plastic across the entire seat – creating a more unified design that is more contemporary and premium. However, the warm grey Ultraleather and plastic are balanced perfectly by using the ‘sunrise’ pink colour as accent piping and contrast stitching. The accent pink piping and stitching bring a softer, more feminine feel to the seat design evoking comfort and quality,” states Acumen.

The accent pink was also used in the new curtain design introducing a gradient ombre effect, flowing from pink to warm grey. Acumen worked closely with Botany weaving to introduce a more environmentally friendly nylon carpet design, using an existing and certified carpet construction but blending the new colours greys, blues, and pink accents into a unique carpet design that uses 100% recycled nylon, using Econyl yarns from Aquafil.

The interiors are also brought to life with the addition of new uniforms – which in an interesting turn for Asia – are genderless. “The cabin attendants were involved from the earliest planning stages of the new uniforms, resulting in a design that embodies the brand’s core values of kindness to all. Notably, the uniforms have a borderless design, promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce by incorporating gender-neutral options and enabling variations in coordination,” states AirJapan.

While the designs of the uniform are interesting, blending traditional Japanese elements such as wraps and knots, the biggest news here is that the uniforms also reflect AirJapan’s commitment to sustainability as cabin attendant uniforms will be made in-part from plant-derived fabrics.

“At AirJapan, we are dedicated to the passion of our passenger’s pursuits, which inspires us to create inflight products and services to foster the innovative spirit of those flying with us,” said Hideki Mineguchi, President of AirJapan. “We hope the launch of these new amenities create a unique and outstanding travel experience for our passengers.”