In March 2023, Japan Airlines announced plans to refresh its narrow body fleet, as the airline placed an order for 21 Boeing 737 MAXs. There’s now an update, as the airline has just boosted this order considerably, to 38 aircraft.
Japan Airlines places firm order for 38 Boeing 737 MAXs
Japan Airlines (JAL) has now finalized an order for 38 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, which will join the fleet starting in 2026. The 737 MAX 8 is one of the smaller variants of the Boeing 737 MAX. It can ordinarily seat 162-178 passengers, with a range of 3,550 nautical miles. The plane will reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions by 15% compared to the previous generation aircraft that the airline flies.
Japan Airlines currently has an all-Boeing narrow body fleet, consisting of 43 Boeing 737-800s, which are an average of over 15 years old. These are used both for domestic flights within Japan, as well as for select short haul international flights. The 737 MAX 8s will replace most of the classic 737-800 fleet.
Japan Airlines has published some potential cabin renderings of the 737 MAX, which look intriguing. It seems like at least some of the 737 MAXs will be in a three class configuration, with some seats featuring direct aisle access and doors. Meanwhile it looks like another version of the 737 MAX will be in an all-economy layout.
Separately, in March 2024, Japan Airlines placed an order for 11 Airbus A321neos, which are primarily expected to replace domestic Boeing 767s, for flights out of Tokyo Haneda (HND).
Japan Airlines’ impressive fleet renewal project
In the past several years, Japan Airlines really has gone all-in on fleet renewal. Up until now, we’ve seen the airline take delivery of wide body planes in order to replace the Boeing 777 fleet. This has involved transitioning from Boeing planes to Airbus planes:
- Japan Airlines now has a dedicated Airbus A350-900 domestic fleet, which replaces the Boeing 777-200s
- Japan Airlines now has an Airbus A350-1000 international fleet, which replaces the Boeing 777-300ERs
But the transition goes beyond that. As mentioned in this post, Japan Airlines now has 38 Boeing 737 MAXs on order, plus 11 Airbus A321neos. On top of that, in March 2024, Japan Airlines ordered an additional 21 Airbus A350-900s plus 10 Boeing 787-9s, all of which will be used for long haul flights.
This all doesn’t just represent fleet renewal, but the airline actually plans considerable growth. By the end of the decade, Japan Airlines hopes to grow its international capacity by 40%, but that also factors in low cost carrier subsidiary ZIPAIR.
Bottom line
Japan Airlines has placed an order for 38 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, which will join the carrier’s fleet starting in 2026. These planes will replace some of the existing 737-800s, and will reduce emissions by 15%. While I personally prefer the A320neo family to the 737 MAX family, I’m happy to see Japan Airlines refreshing its fleet, as this is a very impressive modernization.
What do you make of Japan Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX order?
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