Japan Airlines has just placed a massive aircraft order, which will see the airline acquiring jets from both Airbus and Boeing. Perhaps what’s most interesting here isn’t the order as such, but rather how much Japan Airlines plans to grow its international network.
Japan Airlines orders A350-900, 787-9, and A321neo
Japan Airlines has just ordered 42 jets from both Airbus and Boeing, representing one of the carrier’s biggest aircraft orders ever. This order, which is part of the company’s long term fleet renewal plan, is comprised of the following aircraft:
- 21 Airbus A350-900s, which will be delivered from 2027 (except one A350, which will be delivered in 2025); these planes will be used for international flights, except the one A350 being delivered sooner, which is replacing the domestic A350 that had an accident at Haneda Airport earlier this year)
- 10 Boeing 787-9s, which will be delivered from 2027; these planes will be used for international flights
- 11 Airbus A321neos, which will be delivered from 2028; these planes will be used for domestic flights
This latest order complements Japan Airlines’ order for 21 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in early 2023, as those planes will also be used for domestic flights.
Japan Airlines is growing its international network
Historically, Japanese airlines have been pretty conservative with their growth, and much of the fleet renewal that we’ve seen has been for 1:1 replacements of existing aircraft. That’s why I think it’s pretty remarkable to reflect on how this order is largely for incremental growth.
The airline has announced that by 2030, it hopes to increase its international capacity by 1.4x, and that includes both full service and low cost carriers (in this case, ZIPAIR). In particular, the airline sees growth opportunities in North America, Asia, and India. I would imagine that we’ll see some more Japan Airlines 787s transferred to ZIPAIR, to make room for new aircraft at the full service airline.
With that in mind, let’s take a bigger picture look at Japan Airlines’ fleet plans:
- For it’s flagship long haul routes, Japan Airlines is replacing its Boeing 777-300ERs with Airbus A350-1000s, which are in the process of being delivered
- Japan Airlines plans to expand its long haul capacity by acquiring 10 more Boeing 787s, as those planes complement the roughly 45 existing Boeing 787s that the airline already has in its fleet
- The 20 new international Airbus A350-900s represent international growth, as they aren’t replacing any existing aircraft
- For domestic flights, Japan Airlines has already replaced its Boeing 777-200s with Airbus A350-900s, and then the airline has 42 Boeing 737-800s and 25 Boeing 767-300s; the Boeing 737 MAX 8s will replace Boeing 737-800s, while the Airbus A321neos will replace Boeing 767-300s
So we’re basically seeing Japan Airlines’ long haul fleet grow by around 30 aircraft, in the form of 20 Airbus A350s and 10 Boeing 787s. I’ve gotta say, Japan Airlines has some pretty snazzy fleet plans. The airline will eventually fly just Airbus A350s, Boeing 787s, Airbus A321neos, and Boeing 737 MAX 8s.
Now, with Japan Airlines having recently introduced its spectacular new first class, I’m sure many people are wondering if the airline will install this first class on any of its newly delivered Airbus A350s (I can’t imagine it will be installed on Boeing 787s). We don’t officially know one way or another, though my guess is that we won’t see that, and that instead that product will only be available on the carrier’s small flagship A350-1000 fleet.
Maybe A350-900s will get the same business class product as on the A350-1000s, but I think it’s unlikely that we see a first class cabin.
Bottom line
Japan Airlines has ordered 42 jets, including 21 Airbus A350-900s, 10 Boeing 787-9s, and 11 Airbus A321neos. The A350s and 787s will be used for international growth, while the A321s will be used for domestic fleet renewal. I’m happy to see that Japan Airlines plans to grow its international network considerably, so I’m curious to see what routes we see added in five or so years.
What do you make of Japan Airlines’ aircraft order?
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