Nippon Cargo Airlines
Nippon Cargo Airlines Company, Limited, or NCA, is a cargo airline with its head office on the property of Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, outside Tokyo. It operates scheduled cargo services in Asia and to Europe and North America. Its main base is Narita Airport.
History
Nippon Cargo Airlines was established on September 21, 1978 and started operations in 1985. It was Japan's first all-cargo airline. Over time, their network has grown to include many cities on three continents. Initially, NCA was a joint venture of shipping companies headed by Nippon Yusen and All Nippon Airways. In August 2005, ANA sold its stake to Nippon Yusen.The airline is owned by Nippon Yusen.
In December 2010, NCA was selected to provide ground support services for the Japanese Air Force One aircraft, replacing Japan Airlines which was then in the process of retiring its 747 fleet.
Destinations
Nippon Cargo Airlines serves the following destinations :| Hub | |
| Future Destinations |
| City | Province/Region | Country/Region | IATA | ICAO | Airport |
| Amsterdam | North Holland | Netherlands | AMS | EHAM | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol |
| Anchorage | Alaska | United States | ANC | PANC | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport |
| Bangkok | Central Thailand | Thailand | BKK | VTBS | Suvarnabhumi Airport |
| Chicago | Illinois | United States | ORD | KORD | Chicago O'Hare International Airport |
| Dallas | Texas | United States | DFW | KDFW | Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport |
| Edmonton | Alberta | Canada | YEG | CYEG | Edmonton International Airport |
| Hahn | Rhineland-Palatinate | Germany | HHN | EDFH | Frankfurt–Hahn Airport |
| Hong Kong | — | Hong Kong | HKG | VHHH | Hong Kong International Airport |
| Kitakyushu | Kyushu | Japan | KKJ | RJFR | Kitakyushu Airport |
| Los Angeles | California | United States | LAX | KLAX | Los Angeles International Airport |
| Milan | Lombardy | Italy | MXP | LIMC | Milan Malpensa Airport |
| Nagoya | Chūbu | Japan | NGO | RJGG | Chubu Centrair International Airport |
| New York City | New York | United States | JFK | KJFK | John F. Kennedy International Airport |
| Okinawa | Kyushu | Japan | OKA | ROAH | Naha Airport |
| Osaka | Kansai | Japan | KIX | RJBB | Kansai International Airport |
| San Francisco | California | United States | SFO | KSFO | San Francisco International Airport |
| Seoul | Seoul Capital Area | South Korea | ICN | RKSI | Incheon International Airport |
| Shanghai | — | People's Republic of China | PVG | ZSPD | Shanghai Pudong International Airport |
| Singapore | — | Singapore | SIN | WSSS | Singapore Changi Airport |
| Tokyo | Kantō | Japan | NRT | RJAA | Narita International Airport |
| Taipei | Northern Taiwan | Taiwan | TPE | RCTP | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport |
Codeshare agreements
Nippon Cargo Airlines codeshares with the following airlines:Current fleet
NCA's fleet consists of the following aircraft :| Aircraft | In Fleet | Order | Notes |
| Boeing 747-400F | 3 | — | |
| Boeing 747-8F | 8 | — | |
| Total | 11 | — |
- On 9 June 2005 Nippon Cargo Airline's first Boeing 747-400F was delivered in Everett, Washington, the first of four ordered by the airline.
- In June 2006, NCA ordered two additional Boeing 747-400F to eight that had already been ordered. These aircraft were delivered beginning in 2008 and replaced the Boeing 747-200F. By May 2009, the ten 747-400 had been delivered, but the last two were placed with Cargo B Airlines, a Belgian operator which NCA owned shares of. Cargo B filed for bankruptcy in May 2009, and the two aircraft were placed into storage. Subsequently, both were leased to AirBridgeCargo Airlines.
- In 2007 the airline had ordered 14 Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft and has taken delivery of eight examples. In 2015 it cancelled outstanding orders for four of the aircraft, but still retains options on two more. It is thought to be due to the downturn of cargo volumes in the Asia Pacific region. In 2017, it cancelled the remaining two options of the aircraft, leaving the airline with no further unfulfilled aircraft orders.
Former fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
| Boeing 747-200F | 6 | 1984 | 2011 | |
| Boeing 747-200SF | 4 | 1997 | 2008 | |
| Boeing 747-SR81F | 1 | 1993 | 2009 | |
| Boeing 747-400F | 10 | 2005 | 2018 |
Corporate affairs
Headquarters and major offices
Nippon Cargo Airlines has its headquarters in the NCA Line Maintenance Hangar at Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture. The hangar is within the engineering and maintenance complex at Narita Airport. The facility has several environmentally friendly aspects, including a light wall, top lighting, naturally balanced wind power vent windows, a garden roof, a solar water heating system, and equipment to use rainwater to wash aircraft fuselages.In 2007 NCA signed a deal with Nippon Steel Engineering, which historically built hangars for large aircraft, for the construction of a maintenance and engineering hangar at Narita. The building was to have environmentally friendly procedures conducive to maintaining aircraft during the daytime, because NCA has its aircraft maintenance activities scheduled for daytime hours. On April 30, 2009, the construction of the line maintenance hangar was completed. On June 8, 2009, the hangar's operations began.
In July 1978, when the company first began, it operated within a single room inside All Nippon Airways's space in the Kasumigaseki Building in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo. In March 1997 NCA moved its headquarters from the Shiroyama JT Mori Building to the 10th floor of the New Kasumigaseki Building, which had housed NCA's marketing division from 1987 to 1991. In March 2003, due to a demand for more space, the headquarters moved to the Shiodome City Center in Shiodome, Minato, Tokyo when it opened; the move was the fifth time the headquarters moved. The airline had its headquarters and its East Japan sales office on the 8th floor.