Japan Airlines has announced an increased Summer Schedule for 2023 in response to increasing and changing travel demands in the region.
Japan Airlines: Chinese Connections
In the press release, issued on 08 March 2023, Japan Airlines Group announced the additional flights as part of a revised direction following changes in travel restrictions and increasing demands in the region.
The operator will add the following routes to its FY2023 program from Tokyo Haneda:
- A second flight to Shanghai Pudong and the re-start of flights to Shanghai-Hongqiao. Three flights per day will be operated between Tokyo and Shanghai.
- The Beijing route will become twice a day.
- Flights to Guangzhou will also operate daily.
From Tokyo Narita, the Dalian route will operate on a daily basis.
Outside of Tokyo, starting in May, the Japanese flag carrier will resume flights from Kansai Airport (for the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe) to Shanghai and from Chubu to Tianjin.
Increasing Confidence
In response to easing COVID restrictions in Asia, specifically China and Japan, the airline is returning to destinations that they have not operated since the pandemic.
The operator will perform most routes using its widebody fleet of Boeing 767s and 787s in multi-class configurations.
Earlier this week, according to Bloomberg, Japan Airlines was reported to be nearing completion on an order for Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 10 variant aircraft. It is planned these will replace the airline’s older Boeing 737-800 fleet on its domestic and regional networks.
JAL has recently introduced the Airbus A350-900 into its fleet and is expecting to receive its A350-1000 in 2023, replacing the Boeing 777-300ERs.
Despite the orders for and introductions of Airbus widebodies, it is reported the Boeing 737 MAX is the favored option for the carrier’s narrowbody replacement. As a previously exclusive Boeing operator, it will become a mixed fleet.
As confidence and demand in the region increase, JAL and other operators are expected to continue to expand networks and seating capacity.
