Japan Airlines Airbus A350-1000 Routes & Flights

Japan Airlines is in the process of refreshing its long haul fleet, as the oneworld airline is gradually replacing its Boeing 777-300ERs with Airbus A350-1000s.

Not only is the A350 a joy to fly in general, but these planes are particularly exciting, given that they feature an all-new passenger experience. I’ve reviewed Japan Airlines’ new A350 first class, and it’s spectacular, among the best first class products in the world. If you want to redeem miles for this experience, see my guide to doing so.

The A350-1000 is now in service on two routes, so I wanted to cover the details of where you can expect to find this plane. Let me emphasize that these A350-1000s are separate from the company’s A350-900s, which are exclusively used for domestic flights, and feature a completely different layout.

Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 fleet progress

Japan Airlines has so far taken delivery of three Airbus A350-1000s, out of the 13 that the airline has on order:

• The first A350-1000 has the registration code JA01WJ, and operated its delivery flight from Toulouse (TLS) to Tokyo (HND) on December 14, 2023
• The second A350-1000 has the registration code JA02WJ, and operated its delivery flight on January 13, 2024
• The third A350-1000 has the registration code JA03WJ, and operated its delivery flight on March 30, 2024

Japan Arlines is taking delivery of these jets progressively, and all 13 A350-1000s aren’t expected to join the oneworld carrier’s fleet until 2028, at which point the 777-300ERs will be retired. We don’t have an exact schedule for what deliveries will look like, but it’s expected that additional planes will join Japan Airlines’ fleet in the coming weeks and months.

Japan Airlines’ current A350-1000 routes & flights

Japan Airlines is currently flying the Airbus A350-1000 daily between Tokyo (HND) and New York (JFK). The airline operates two daily frequencies in the market, and the following frequency is the one to currently feature this special jet:

JL6 Tokyo to New York departing 11:05AM arriving 10:50AM
JL5 New York to Tokyo departing 1:45PM arriving 5:15PM (+1 day)

On top of that, Japan Airlines flies the A350-1000 every other day between Tokyo (HND) and Dallas (DFW), with the following schedule:

JL12 Tokyo to Dallas departing 10:55AM arriving 8:40AM
JL11 Dallas to Tokyo departing 11:05AM arriving 2:40PM (+1 day)

For the time being, the A350-1000 is only operating this route every other day, with the 777-300ER operating the route on alternating days:

• In April and May you can expect the A350 on odd numbered days
• In June and July you can expect the A350 on even numbered days (though the A350 isn’t serving the route July 1-25, 2024)
• In August you can expect the A350 on odd numbered days
• In September and October you can expect the A350 on even numbered days

Japan Airlines’ future A350-1000 routes & flights

Currently Japan Airlines’ Airbus A350-1000s are maxed out with their schedule, as the three planes can operate the New York service daily, and the Dallas service every other day. What’s next for the jet? Japan Airlines has updated its schedule to reflect two additional changes.

First of all, as of October 26, 2024, the A350 is expected to fly daily between Tokyo (HND) and Dallas (DFW), on the same frequency that currently sees the A350 every other day:

JL12 Tokyo to Dallas departing 10:55AM arriving 8:40AM
JL11 Dallas to Tokyo departing 11:05AM arriving 2:40PM (+1 day)

On top of that, as of July 1, 2024, the A350 is expected to operate the second daily flight between Tokyo (HND) and New York (JFK), with the following schedule:

JL4 Tokyo to New York departing 6:30PM arriving 6:30PM
JL3 New York to Tokyo departing 1:40AM arriving 4:45AM (+1 day)

Note that between July 1 and July 25, that second daily frequency to New York will only feature the A350 two of every three days, and after that it will be daily.

Japan Airlines’ A350 rollout is going way faster than I could have imagined, and I wasn’t expecting we’d see three daily long haul frequencies with the A350 by the start of the 2024/2025 winter schedule.

What should we expect beyond the above updates? It’s expected that Japan Airlines will next assign the A350 to its flight between Tokyo (HND) and London (LHR), for frequencies JL43/44. However, we don’t yet have a start date for this service, though it’s expected to happen by the first quarter of 2025. I’ll of course provide an update when we have more information.

Bottom line

Japan Airlines has put its Airbus A350-1000 into commercial service, and its footprint is expanding quickly. The airline now has three of these planes in its fleet, operating two routes. You’ll find the A350 flying daily to New York, and every other day to Dallas.

As of July 2024, we’ll see the A350 start operating the second daily frequency to New York, and as of late October 2024, we’ll see the A350 start operating the Dallas frequency daily.

What do you make of Japan Airlines’ Airbus A350-1000 routes?