Air Do (HD, Sapporo Chitose) and Solaseed Air (6J, Miyazaki) have finalised their merger which will see the two airlines consolidate their head offices and maintenance facilities. First flagged back in May 2021, the merger documents were signed on October 3, 2022. The two airlines will retain their individual identities and routes but will operate under a new holding company called RegionalPlus Wings Corporation.
Air Do President Susumu Kusano will take on the chairman's role at the holding company while Solaseed President Kosuke Takahashi will become RegionalPlus Wings Corporation president. Air Do said in a statement that the merger sought to "maximise the improvement of the group's income and expenditure through standardisation, joint use, and integration with the aim of revitalising both companies."
Aside from consolidating head office and maintenance operations, the two airlines are eyeing collaborating on procurement and some sharing of customer data. The holding company was set up with capital of JPY100 million yen (USD693,700). By FY26, they are targeting an annual operating revenue of approximately JPY100 billion (USD693.7 million) and an ordinary income of approximately JPY9 billion (US62.4 million).
"We will survive the new business environment and provide our customers with more comfortable air travel," Kusano pledged at a news conference.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Solaseed, based on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu, operates a fleet of fourteen B737-800s which fly to 11 destinations in Japan. Air Do also flies to 11 Japanese airports with a fleet of eight B737-700s and four B767-300ERs. Air Do is eyeing updated narrowbodies from 2027 but has flagged obtaining some B737-800 aircraft as a short term interim option.
