01. HAP first generation talk

HAP was founded on August 23, 2019.
Among the first-year students with diverse backgrounds,
Four employees who have a close relationship with each other on a daily basis came together.
We had a frank conversation.

MEMBER

Head Office Airport Business Headquarters
Airport Department Airport Operations Division
Mr. Y

Head Office Business Development Headquarters
Passenger Sales Department, Passenger Sales Section
Mr. N

New Chitose Airport Office
Administration Department, General Affairs Division
Mr. T

New Chitose Airport Office
Airport Operations Department, Lighting and Electricity Section
Mr. I

How did you end up joining HAP?

Mr. Y

I joined the company in April 2020, and am one of the first mid-career recruits. I worked as a police officer and at a travel agency, and then at an automobile company for around 12 years. I had just completed a big job and was thinking about changing jobs, when HAP came up with the job opening and I applied straight away.

Mr. I

I am one of the first new graduates to join the company in spring 2021. Since I was a child, I have dreamed of working in the aviation industry, and while I was at university, I aimed to become a pilot, but I was unable to achieve this. So, I set my next goal as HAP, which manages seven airports under one roof.

Mr. T

I originally joined the management company for New Chitose Airport in April 2019, and about a year later, when the company merged with HAP, I was transferred to HAP.

Mr. I

When you joined the company, did you know you would become a HAP?

Mr. T

It was right around that time that we were in the midst of that struggle (laughs). Nothing had been decided yet, but there was talk of eventually privatizing it.

Mr. N

I was seconded from 17 HAP shareholders, and I was there right from the time of the struggle (laughs). I was involved in the launch of the company, and I've been here ever since.

Please tell us about your first impressions of each other.

Mr. Y

I've already forgotten (everyone laughs). I often interact with these members at work, so it's not like I have a particular first impression of them.

Mr. T

That's right. He was really easy to talk to, and I felt like we were talking as if we knew each other from the very beginning.

Mr. Y

When we first launched, we only had around 100 employees.

Mr. N

I think the impression I got at the time was that just under half of the people were familiar faces, and just over half were new employees on secondment from the 17 shareholder companies and partner companies.

Mr. I

How many employees do you have now?

Mr. N

I think we now have about 650 employees, which is about seven times the number we had when we first launched, so a lot of people have chosen HAP as their place of employment.

Mr. Y

These four people are from different departments and are of different ages, and HAP has many employees with a variety of backgrounds, but they are able to work together while communicating across departments.

What is the most memorable episode from when HAP started?

Mr. T

The obvious difference at HAP was that there were a lot of people I was seeing for the first time (laughs). Also, I remember that when the company I joined merged, there was a lot of work to be done to close it down, which was very difficult.

Mr. I

Since it was a newly established company, I thought there would be a lot of young employees, but there were a lot of senior people there (laughs), so I was extremely nervous when I was assigned to my position. However, everyone was warm and said, "You're a new graduate, aren't you?", and when I sat down, everyone remembered my name and I was really welcomed in a homely manner.

Mr. Y

I was really happy when the new graduates joined the company. I was initially assigned to the fuel section, but to my surprise, I was the only person in the section.

Mr. T

What, you didn't have a boss?

Mr. Y

I studied the relevant laws and spent about a year developing the refueling business. I realized that this is what a new company is all about.

Mr. N

Starting a company is really hard (laughs). You have to prepare the articles of incorporation and things like that. August 23rd is the date of incorporation, but this is the day I went to the Legal Affairs Bureau and submitted the documents.

Mr. T

Did you do that kind of work at your company?

Mr. N

Not at all. It was a lot of work by people who weren't in the industry, and although it was hard, it was fun.

How has the company changed in the five years since it was founded?

Mr. T

Since becoming HAP, we have made progress in digitization and it feels like our operations have become increasingly efficient.

Mr. I

It's true that HAP is a company that embraces new technology. When I first joined the company, there were some things that were carried over from the old way of doing things, but recently I think that HAP's original style has been appearing everywhere.

Mr. Y

It's my job to create that color, so I feel like I'm working hard at it.

Mr. I

Even when people say, "Let me know if you have any problems," it often ends up at the consultation level. I think it's amazing that Mr. Y can actually solve those problems.

Mr. T

It's nice to have someone at work who supports you.

Mr. N

I'm sure there are still many challenges ahead, but it makes me happy to see the company we founded continue to change for the better.

Mr. Y

I'm currently planning to hold a job hunting event overseas. I'm going to hire new graduates from overseas and bring them over. My style is to tell people around me early on what I want to do and make it happen.

Mr. N

It looks like it will become a reality in the near future. The COVID-19 pandemic hit soon after the company was founded, and it feels like the energy that had been building up since then has suddenly exploded over the past year or so.

What message would you like to give to those who are aiming to become HAP?

Mr. I

I was assigned to the Lighting and Electrical Engineering Department, but I had no knowledge of electricity, so I worked together with my colleagues who were in the same situation. However, we both have a strong sense of curiosity and like to take on new challenges. I would like to see people like that join us.

Mr. T

I believe that the things you work hard at as a student will definitely come in handy somewhere. I studied piano at a music university, but then I got a job at an airport management company, which is a completely different field.

Mr. Y

Why did they ask me why it was a private company?

Mr. T

I was asked about it in the interview too (laughs). The things I've been doing steadily have led to work opportunities, and I was even able to help out when I was doing an interview on the airport piano at New Chitose Airport, so I think my experience has really come in handy.

Mr. N

There are seven airports and a wide variety of jobs within the airports, so no matter what you do, there is a place where you can put your skills to good use. It's a very generous company.

Mr. I

Going back to what Mr. Y said earlier, I also wanted HAP to become a global company, a company that people would say, if they were going to work in Japan, they would want to work at HAP in Hokkaido.

Mr. N

There are people with diverse backgrounds and different work duties, but that's what makes HAP fun. It's an exciting company where you can meet all kinds of people and do all kinds of things, so I hope that more people will join in and take on challenges together.

Mr. Y

It's already an attractive company, but there are even more amazing things to come. We're looking for people who can enjoy these experiences with us and help us grow the company.