JAL announces accelerated aircraft retirements

Following in the footsteps of ANA, Japan Airlines also announced accelerated fleet-retirements after posting a loss for the first half of 2020. The plan of the airline is to remove all B777s from domestic operations by 2023 and all B777-200ERs from international operations by March next year. In total the airline will dispose 24 of its 35 B777s in the coming three years, leaving only nine B777-300ERs.

The airline will also not extend leases on five B737-800s, which are expected to leave the fleet in the first months of 2022. Currently, JAL operates 48 B737-800s.

Just like ANA, JAL expects that private travelers will be more cost-concious and is therefore also contemplating about adding more B787s to its new ZIPAIR-subsidiary to boost this airline and not lose out on this market segment.

Photo by Anton Homma