The French Republic has awarded the prestigious Chevalier de la Legion of Honor to ANA’s President and CEO Shinya Katanozaka, in recognition of his legacy of contribution to the promotion of economic and cultural relations between Japan and France.
On Thursday (October 14, 2021), ANA Holdings Inc. (ANA) announced that the airline’s President and CEO Shinya Katanozaka has been awarded the prestigious Chevalier de la Legion of Honor from the French Republic. Mr. Katanozaka received the award at the French embassy from Phillippe Setton, the French Ambassador to Japan, on Wednesday (October 13, 2021). The award was presented in recognition of Katanozaka’s legacy of contribution to the promotion of economic and cultural relations between the two countries. The prestigious Legion of Honor award was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 to recognize outstanding achievements in culture, science, industry, commerce and creative activities.
At Wednesday's award ceremony, ANA’s President and CEO, Shinya Katanozaka, said,
“It is a tremendous honor to be named a Chevalier de la Legion of Honor, acknowledging the work to strengthen ties between France and Japan. I am proud of the work that we have done over the past three decades to build a strong relationship with French passengers, businesses and the general public. I have always held a great affinity for the people and culture of France, and I look forward to building new bridges and deepening relationships between our two countries.”
ANA has served France for over three decades, with the launch of the Tokyo-Paris route on October 4, 1990. The following year, ANA became the first Japanese carrier to operate the Airbus A320. The airline also added a custom set of three Airbus A380s to their fleet in 2019. In addition to building strong business ties, the ANA Group has worked to foster cultural understanding between Japan and France. In November 2015, the ANA Research Institute established a cooperative relationship with the European Center for Japanese Studies in Alsace (CEEJA), contributing to the strengthening of bilateral relations with events in France and Japan. ANA was also a lead sponsor of the 2018 Japonism cultural expo, organizing Kabuki performances and providing a set number of airline tickets.
Founded in 1952, ANA serves 82 international and 118 domestic destinations from their dual Tokyo hubs at Narita and Haneda airports. The carrier has been a Star Alliance partner since 1999 and currently has joint partnerships with United Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines. The ANA Group also owns Japanese low-cost carrier (LCC) Peach Aviation Limited. ANA has approximately 43,000 employees and operates a fleet of 260 aircraft. Additionally, the carrier was the launch customer and is the largest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Family aircraft, and is the only Airbus A380 operator in Japan.
Source: ANA (All Nippon Airways)