All Nippon Helicopter Co., Ltd.

All Nippon Helicopter Co., Ltd. (ANH) is a Tokyo-based helicopter operator whose flying is dedicated to news and programme work for NHK, Japan's public broadcaster. Its head office and Tokyo base are at Tokyo Heliport in Shinkiba. ANH was established on 6 February 1986 and describes its registered business as aircraft use, specifically news gathering for NHK.

What ANH flies

The company's concept is to report Japan from the air. Its crews cover disasters, incidents and accidents for news reports, and shoot aerial footage for documentary and other programmes using helicopters fitted with vibration-damped camera systems.

Fleet

• Leonardo AW139: 4
• Airbus H160: 1
• Airbus EC135: 5
• Airbus AS365: 4
• Kawasaki BK117 D-3: 1

Bases

ANH keeps ten resident bases and three outposts, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The site lists Tokyo, Sapporo, Sendai, Niigata, Shizuoka, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Okinawa as bases, with outposts at Gunma, Takamatsu and Kagoshima.

Safety

ANH states safety first as its corporate principle and runs a dedicated safety promotion office. Flights are monitored from the Tokyo head office over a data network, with aircraft position, speed and altitude tracked through satellite telephone links. Maintenance is carried out by engineers trained for the types in the fleet, and the company publishes an annual safety report on its website.

Company facts

• Established: 6 February 1986
• Capital: 50 million yen
• Business: aircraft use, news gathering for NHK
• Shareholders listed on the site: Nagoya Railroad, Nakanihon Air Service, Toho Air Service, ANA Holdings, NHK Enterprises and NHK Global Media Services