Photo/Illutration Saga Governor Yoshinori Yamaguchi speaks at a Nov. 4 meeting of prefectural government officials to discuss a draft supplementary budget. (Maho Fukui)

SAGA--Saga Prefecture on Nov. 4 said it plans to accept about 10 employees on loan from the ANA group while the airline company struggles to rebound from financial damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The loaned employees are expected to work as prefectural government staff in areas related to town planning and tourism.

The prefecture earmarked about 10 million yen ($95,840) in its budget request to shoulder part of costs to employ them.

The plan was announced at a meeting of prefectural government officials discussing a draft supplementary budget to be submitted at the prefectural assembly’s regular session that starts later this month.

The Saga government is coordinating with the ANA group to start accepting the workers by the end of this fiscal year and continue their employment for two years or so, according to the prefectural government’s Airport Division.

ANA Holdings Inc. announced it expects to post a record net loss for fiscal 2020 as demand for air travel has dried up amid the pandemic. The company said it plans to reduce personnel costs by lending its staff to outside companies.

“ANA supported Saga Prefecture when the prefecture faced a tough time managing Saga Airport,” Saga Governor Yoshinori Yamaguchi said at the Nov. 4 meeting. “This is a project to cherish the bond between us.”

The Airport Division said the project represents “cooperation” with the ANA group, not support.

ANA has operated flights at Saga Airport since it opened in 1998. The company used to offer five daily round-trip flights between Saga Airport and Haneda Airport in Tokyo, but it currently operates only three of them, except on certain days, because of the spread of the novel coronavirus.

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