While the arrival of Japan Airlines’ (JAL) first Airbus A350 marks the start of a major transition in the carrier’s widebody fleet, it also represents a notable change for the country’s airline industry.
In recent years, Japan’s two main airlines—JAL and All Nippon Airways (ANA)–have relied exclusively on Boeingproducts for their widebody fleets. Boeing will still be dominant in this market for the foreseeable future, but Airbus twin-aisles will also be appearing in increasing numbers from this year.
The first of 18 A350-900s was delivered to JAL on June 13, and it also has 13 of the -1000 variant due to arrive in the longer term. The airline will use these aircraft to begin replacing the Boeing 777s that are currently the backbone of its domestic and international widebody operations.
JAL begins 777 replacement with A350 deliveries
More fleet refresh decisions are also approaching
JAL is not the first Japanese carrier to debut an Airbus widebody this year, however. ANA received its initial Airbus A380 in March, with another delivered since then and a third on order. Airbus has also already made significant inroads in Japanese narrowbody fleets, with A320-family aircraft operated by major airlines and low-cost carriers (LCC).
For JAL, the A350-900s will mainly be used to replace the 777s on domestic routes. The A350-1000s will primarily be deployed on international routes. There is no date set for the -1000s to begin arriving, but they are likely to be 3-4 years away, according to JAL President Yuji Akasaka. He made these comments on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association’s annual meeting in Seoul on June 2.
Like ANA, JAL has also been building a sizable Boeing 787 fleet. However, JAL views the A350s as the primary replacement for the 777s, the airline says.
JAL’s A350s are set to debut in scheduled service on Sept. 1, on flights between Tokyo Haneda Airport and Fukuoka. These aircraft will have new cabin products and will introduce seat-back inflight entertainment screens in all classes for the first time in JAL’s domestic operation. They will be configured with 369 seats in three classes.
Japan Airlines received its first Airbus A350 in June, with another 30 to be delivered. Credit: A. Doumenjou/Airbus

The carrier currently operates 40 777s, including -200s, -200ERs, -300s and -300ERs. This means the A350 orders placed so far will not be enough to completely replace the 777s. JAL does hold options for 25 additional A350s, and will think about exercising them at some point, Akasaka says. However, serious consideration of these options will wait until the A350s have proven themselves in service.
In addition to the A350s, JAL also has three 787-9s and four 787-8s remaining on order. The first of the -8s is due in the autumn, with all four to be used on domestic routes. This will be the first time 787s have been used regularly in JAL’s domestic operation. The carrier currently has 25 787-8s and 17 787-9s that are all used internationally. The airline also has about 20 options remaining for 787s.
After a few years of conservative growth, JAL intends to ramp up its capacity in its next fiscal year beginning April 1, 2020. This will be a big year for Japanese airlines as the Tokyo Olympics boost visitor numbers, and new slots will allow additional flights from crowded Haneda Airport.
The additional Haneda slots will be divided between overseas airlines and Japanese carriers. JAL does not yet know how many it will receive, although the government is expected to reveal the allocation for Japanese carriers in late summer or early autumn of this year.
Depending on the slot allocation, JAL could increase its international capacity by about 10% in fiscal 2020, Akasaka says. That would represent a significant acceleration from the 2.5% international growth planned for the current fiscal year.
However, the capacity increase will not be achieved by dramatic fleet growth, as most of the new deliveries will be matched by retirements. JAL expects the group fleet to grow to 236 by the end of fiscal 2020, up from the 230 it operates now.
Despite the relatively low fleet expansion, JAL is “very well positioned” to prepare for the demand increase next year, says Akasaka. He notes the airline has plenty of scope to raise its utilization on its existing fleet. Changing to a higher-density configuration on certain aircraft will also boost capacity.
More seats will be added to some 787-8s by removing premium economy, shrinking business class slightly and significantly increasing economy class. JAL’s planned LCC subsidiary, Zipair Tokyo, will provide another avenue for growth. The LCC is due to launch next year with two Boeing 787-8s, with steady expansion in subsequent years. Zipair is wholly owned, although Akasaka says JAL may look at adding other investors, including companies outside the airline industry. “We believe there is a strong market, both inbound and outbound, for the [Zipair] product,” he says.
Other fleet decisions are on the horizon for the JAL group. The next widebody replacement need will likely be its Boeing 767s, and the carrier has previously indicated it may start discussing its alternatives sometime after 2020. JAL operates 35 767s, including the -300 and -300ER variants.
JAL will also eventually have to decide on replacements for its fleet of 50 Boeing 737-800s operated by the parent carrier. The average age of this fleet is just under 10 years. Akasaka stresses this is still relatively young, so the airline has time to consider its options. He says the Boeing MAX and Airbus A320neo families would both be viable candidates.
There has also been activity at the smaller end of the scale, as regional carriers in the JAL Group companies are upgrading their fleets with ATR turboprops. Japan Air Commuter is progressively introducing the ATR 42-600 and 72-600, while Hokkaido Air System has ordered ATR 42-600s and plans to debut the type in 2020.