Japan Airlines has ordered a 17 Boeing 737 Max 8 to outline its fleet update plan in preparation for long-term growth.
The orders announced on March 19th have been added to Jal's existing commitments for the 21 737 Max ordered in March 2023.
The first aircraft of the new 737 Max aircraft is expected to be delivered from fiscal year 2026, starting in April 2026. They replace the 737-800 of airlines that primarily serve domestic routes. Airline business data shows that JAL uses a fleet of more than 60-800.
Fresh orders address the airline aircraft commitment to around 90 aircraft.
At the 2024 Fernborough Air Show, JAL signed the 11 Airbus A321neos. This will replace the 767 in domestic flights and add 20 A350-900s to be introduced in international operations.
At the same show, Jal ordered 10 more 787-9s, expected to be delivered from 2028.
A portion of that -9S will be sent to a medium-range, low-cost operator Zipair, the operator of the smaller -8 variant now. Jal and Zipair currently operate over 50 787s.
Jal, Kalitta Air Ink Cargo Codeshare
Apart from that, Jal has also signed a codeshare agreement with US operator Kalitta Air for freight flights between Tokyo Nara and Chicago.
The Codeshare partnership begins on May 10th, and will be seen as Jal place codes on Kalitta flights between the two cities. The Michigan airline operates 777-300ERSFS on its route.
“The new codeshare agreement with Karitta allows JAL to meet the ongoing strong demand for cargo between Asia and North America by adding large cargo aircraft from another company to provide stable and flexible air cargo services,” Jal said.
OneWorld operators resumed dedicated cargo ship operations after more than 14 years of hiatus, with the 767F flying within Asia.
