日本航空 (Japan Airlines)

Japan Airlines

Not to be confused with Air Japan, the charter carrier. 

IATA ICAO Callsign JL JAL JAPAN AIR
Founded	1 August 1951; 72 years ago (as Japan Air Lines)
Commenced operations	25 October 1951; 72 years ago
Hubs	Tokyo–Haneda Tokyo–Narita
Secondary hubs	Osaka–Itami Osaka–Kansai
Focus cities	Fukuoka Nagoya–Centrair Naha Sapporo–Chitose
Frequent-flyer program	JAL Mileage Bank JAL Global Club
Alliance	Oneworld
Subsidiaries	JAL Cargo J-Air Japan Air Commuter (60%) Japan Transocean Air (72.8%) Jetstar Japan (46.7%) Hokkaido Air System (57.3%) Ryukyu Air Commuter (74.5%) Spring Airlines Japan (70%) Zipair Tokyo
Fleet size	146 (mainline)
Destinations	91
Traded as	TYO: 9201 TOPIX Large70 component
Headquarters	Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
Key people	Yuji Akasaka (Chairman & Representative Director) Mitsuko Tottori (President & CEO)
Revenue	￥1,375,589,000,000 (FY2022)
Operating income	￥64,563,000,000 (FY2022)
Net income	￥33,876,000,000 (FY2022)
Website	www.jal.co.jp/ar/en/

Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (日本航空株式会社, Nihon Koku Kabushiki-gaisha, JAL) is the flag carrier of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita and Haneda airports, as well as Osaka's Kansai and Itami airports. The JAL group, which includes Japan Airlines, also comprises J-Air, Japan Air Commuter, Japan Transocean Air, and Ryukyu Air Commuter for domestic feeder services, and JAL Cargo for cargo and mail services.

JAL group operations include scheduled and non-scheduled international and domestic passenger and cargo services to 220 destinations in 35 countries worldwide, including codeshares. The group has a fleet of 279 aircraft. In the fiscal year ended 31 March 2009, the airline group carried over 52 million passengers and over 1.1 million tons of cargo and mail. Japan Airlines, J-Air, JAL Express, and Japan Transocean Air are members of the Oneworld airline alliance network.

JAL was established in 1951 as a government-owned business and became the national airline of Japan in 1953. After over three decades of service and expansion, the airline was fully privatised in 1987. In 2002, the airline merged with Japan Air System (JAS), Japan's third-largest airline, and became the sixth-largest airline in the world by passengers carried. Japan Airlines is currently an official sponsor of Shimizu S-Pulse and Consadole Sapporo.

History

Regulated/Showa era

Founding

JAL Stewardesses in front of Douglas DC-3 on August 27, 1951

Japan Airlines flight attendants in front of Martin 2-0-2 Mokusei (もく星) on the occasion of the airline's inaugural flight, 25 October 1951

A Japan Airlines Douglas DC-6A (named City of Nara) at San Francisco International Airport in March 1954

The original Japan Airlines Co. was established on 1 August 1951, with the government of Japan recognising the need for a reliable air transportation system to help Japan grow in the aftermath of World War II. The airline was founded with an initial capital of ￥100 million; its headquarters were located in Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo. Between 27 and 29 of August, the airline operated invitational flights on a Douglas DC-3 Kinsei, leased from Philippine Airlines. On 25 October, Japan's first postwar domestic airline service was inaugurated, using a Martin 2-0-2 aircraft, named Mokusei, and crew leased from Northwest Orient Airlines subsidiary TALOA.

On 1 August 1953, the National Diet passed the Japan Airlines Company Act (日本航空株式会社法, Nihon Koku Kabushiki-gaisha Ho) forming a new state-owned Japan Airlines on 1 October, which assumed all assets and liabilities of its private predecessor. By 1953, the JAL network extended northward from Tokyo to Sapporo and Misawa, and westward to Nagoya, Osaka, Iwakuni, and Fukuoka.

On 2 February 1954, the airline began international flights, carrying 18 passengers from Tokyo to San Francisco on a Douglas DC-6B City of Tokyo via Wake Island and Honolulu. The flights between Tokyo and San Francisco are still Flights 1 and 2, to commemorate its first international service. The early flights were advertised as being operated by American crews and serviced by United Airlines in San Francisco.

The airline, in addition to the Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-6B, and Martin 2-0-2s, operated Douglas DC-4s and Douglas DC-7Cs during the 1950s. JAL flew to Hong Kong via Okinawa by 1955, having pared down its domestic network to Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. By 1958, the Hong Kong route had been extended to Bangkok and Singapore. With DC-7Cs, JAL was able to fly nonstop between Seattle and Tokyo in 1959.

Jet era

JAL's first jet, the Douglas DC-8, named Yoshino, in 1960

A Tupolev Tu-114 in Aeroflot/JAL livery, used between Japan and Europe via Moscow

In 1960, the airline took delivery of its first jet, a Douglas DC-8 named Fuji, introducing jet service on the Tokyo-Honolulu-San Francisco route. JAL went on to operate a fleet of 51 DC-8s, retiring the last of the type in 1987. Fuji flew until 1974 and was then used as a maintenance training platform until 1989; its nose section was stored at Haneda Airport and eventually put on public display at the JAL Sky Museum in March 2014.

JAL also began flying to Seattle and Hong Kong in 1960. At the end of 1961, JAL had transpolar flights from Tokyo to Seattle, Copenhagen, London, and Paris via Anchorage, Alaska, and to Los Angeles and San Francisco via Honolulu, Hawaii.

Revenue Passenger-Kilometers, scheduled flights only, in millions

Year	Traffic
1955	314
1960	873
1965	2938
1969	7485
1971	10427
1975	17547
1980	28876
1985	37299
1995	69775
2000	88999

Source: ICAO Digest of Statistics for 1955, IATA World Air Transport Statistics 1960–2000

During the 1960s, JAL flew to many new cities, including Moscow, New York, and Busan. DC-8 flights to Europe via Anchorage started in 1961; flights to Europe via India started in 1962, initially with Convair 880s. Under government pressure, Boeing 727s were acquired for domestic services in 1965 to allow the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau to issue an import license for All Nippon Airways' (ANA) own fleet of 727s.

By 1965, Japan Airlines was headquartered in the Tokyo Building in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Around this time, over half of JAL's revenue was generated on transpacific routes to the United States, and the airline was lobbying the United States for fifth freedom rights to fly transatlantic routes from the East Coast. The transpacific route was extended east from San Francisco to New York in November 1966 and to London in 1967; flights between San Francisco and London ended in December 1972.

Between 1967 and 1969, JAL had an agreement with Aeroflot to operate a joint service between Tokyo and Moscow using a Soviet Tupolev Tu-114. The flight crew included one JAL member, and the cabin crew had five members each from Aeroflot and JAL. The weekly flight started in April 1967.

In 1972, under the 45/47 system (45/47体制, yongo-yonnana taisei), the so-called "aviation constitution" enacted by the Japanese government, JAL was granted flag carrier status to operate international routes. The airline was also designated to operate domestic trunk routes in competition with ANA and Toa Domestic Airlines.

The signing of a civil air transport agreement between China and Japan on 20 April 1974 caused the suspension of air routes between Taiwan and Japan on 21 April. A new subsidiary, Japan Asia Airways, was established on 8 August 1975, and air services between the two countries were restored on 15 September. During the 1970s, the airline bought the Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 for its growing routes within Japan and to other countries.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita deplanes from a JAL McDonnell Douglas DC-10 while on a state visit to the United States in 1989.

In the 1980s the airline performed special flights for the Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko of Japan, Pope John Paul II, and Japanese prime ministers. Until the introduction of dedicated government aircraft two Boeing 747-400's operated as Japanese Air Force One and Japanese Air Force Two. During that decade, the airline introduced new Boeing 747-100SR, Boeing 747-SUD, and Boeing 767 jets to the fleet and retired the Boeing 727s and Douglas DC-8s.

In 1978, JAL started flights to S?o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro via Anchorage and San Juan; the stopover was changed to Los Angeles in 1982 and to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1999. Until 2009, the airline operated fifth-freedom flights between New York and S?o Paulo and between Vancouver and Mexico City.

Deregulated era

Japan began considering airline deregulation in the late 1970s, with the government announcing the abandoning of the 45/47 system in 1985. In 1987, Japan Airlines was completely privatised, and the other two airlines in Japan, All Nippon Airways and Japan Air System, were permitted to compete with JAL on domestic and international routes. The increased competition resulted in changes to the airline's corporate structure, and it was reorganized into three divisions: international passenger service, domestic passenger service, and cargo (including mail) service.

Heisei era

JAL McDonnell Douglas DC-10 in 1989 to 2002 livery

Japan Airlines began the 1990s with flights to evacuate Japanese citizens from Iraq before the start of the Gulf War. In October 1990, Japan Air Charter was established, and in September 1996, an agreement with the Walt Disney Company made Japan Airlines the official airline of Tokyo Disneyland. JAL Express was established in April 1997, with Boeing 737 aircraft. In the 1990s, the airline experienced economic difficulties that stemmed from recessions in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as a domestic downturn. Despite years of profits since 1986, the airline began to report operating losses in 1992. Cost-cutting, including the formation of the low-cost JAL Express domestic subsidiary and the transfer of tourist operations to JALways (the successor to Japan Air Charter), helped return the airline to profitability in 1999.

In 1997, the airline flew Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to Peru to help negotiate in the Japanese embassy hostage crisis. Japan Airlines placed orders for Boeing 777s during the 1990s, allowing for fleet renewal. It was one of eight airlines participating in the Boeing 777 design process, shaping the design to their specifications.

A Japan Air System (JAS) Airbus A300-600R with JAL logo on the fuselage

In 2001, Japan Air System and Japan Airlines agreed to merge; and on 2 October 2002, they established a new holding company called Japan Airlines System (日本航空システム, Nihon Koku Shisutemu), forming a new core of the JAL Group. Aircraft liveries were changed to match the design of the new JAL Group. At that time, the merged group of airlines was the sixth largest in the world by passengers carried.

On 1 April 2004, JAL changed its name to Japan Airlines International and JAS changed its name to Japan Airlines Domestic. JAS flight codes were changed to JAL flight codes, JAS check-in desks were refitted in JAL livery, and JAS aircraft were gradually repainted. On 26 June 2004, the parent company Japan Airlines System was renamed to Japan Airlines Corporation.

Following the merger, two companies operated under the JAL brand: Japan Airlines International (日本航空インターナショナル, Nihon Koku Intānashonaru) and Japan Airlines Domestic (日本航空ジャパン, Nihon Koku Japan). Japan Airlines Domestic had primary responsibility for JAL's large network of intra-Japan flights, while JAL International operated both international and trunk domestic flights. On 1 October 2006, Japan Airlines International and Japan Airlines Domestic merged into a single brand, Japan Airlines International.

The airline applied to join Oneworld on 25 October 2005. Japan Airlines claimed that its Oneworld membership would be in the best interests of the airline's plans to further develop the airline group and its strong commitment to providing the very best to its customers. Japan Airlines, together with Malev and Royal Jordanian, joined the alliance on 1 April 2007.

On 1 April 2008, JAL merged the operations of its subsidiary Japan Asia Airways (JAA) into JAL mainline operations. JAA had operated all JAL group flights between Japan and Taiwan between 1975 and 2008 as a separate entity due to the special political status of Taiwan.

In 2009, Japan Airlines suffered steep financial losses, despite remaining Asia's largest airline by revenue. As a result, the airline embarked on staff cuts and route cutbacks in an effort to reduce costs. The carrier also received ￥100 billion through capital injection and credit from the Japanese government as part of the proposed bankruptcy. In September 2009, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism formed a task force aimed at aiding a corporate turnaround at JAL, which examined various cost-cutting and strategic partnership proposals.

One proposal considered was to merge JAL with ANA, which would create a single larger international airline and replace Japan Airlines International; however, media reports suggested that this proposal would be opposed by ANA given its comparatively better financial performance as an independent carrier. The task force also examined possible partnerships with foreign carriers.

After weeks of speculation, JAL applied for protection under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law (the Japanese equivalent of Administration in the United Kingdom or a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in the United States) on 19 January 2010. JAL would receive a ￥300 billion cash injection and have debts worth ￥730 billion waived, in exchange for which it will cut its capital to zero, cut unprofitable routes and reduce its workforce by 15,700 employees—a third of its 47,000 total. JAL's main creditors (Mizuho Corporate Bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) originally objected to the bankruptcy declaration, but changed their positions after the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan recommended court protection, according to a senior bank official. Shares of JAL were delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on 20 February 2010. At a time, its stock was considered one of "bluest of blue chips" of Japan. At the time, the bankruptcy was the largest Japanese bankruptcy involving a non-financial company and the fourth largest in Japan's history.

Kazuo Inamori, founder of Kyocera and KDDI, took over as CEO of JAL. Transport minister Seiji Maehara personally visited Kyocera headquarters in late 2009 to persuade Inamori to accept the position; task force leader Shinjiro Takagi believed that appointing a proven entrepreneur CEO was necessary to fix the various problems at JAL. Japan Air Commuter president Masaru Onishi was promoted to president of JAL.

In May, JAL began to see an increase in its passenger numbers by 1.1% year-on-year. In August, it was reported that JAL would cut 19,133 jobs from its workforce of 47,000 by the end of March 2015 – whilst also increasing capacity – in an attempt to make the business viable.

JAL Boeing 777-300 (JA8941) with special Oneworld livery

Although JAL ultimately exited bankruptcy while remaining in the Oneworld alliance, JAL was seriously considering accepting a strategic investment from Delta Air Lines and joining the SkyTeam alliance during the period between September 2009 and February 2010. JAL also had talks with Skyteam members Air France-KLM and Korean Air regarding their potential involvement.

The Delta deal was favored by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism because Delta had an extensive global network and had the largest Japanese operation of any foreign airline, which it had inherited through its merger with Northwest Airlines. MLITT also supported a transaction with Air France-KLM because it was a "healthier company" than American.

American planned to team up with Oneworld alliance members British Airways and Qantas to make a joint offer to recapitalise JAL. British Airways said that it was attempting to persuade JAL to remain part of Oneworld rather than aligning itself with Delta and SkyTeam, while American CEO Gerard Arpey said that American and Oneworld remained committed to a partnership with Japan Airlines, as long as it remained a major international carrier, and reiterated his encouragement for JAL to stay with Oneworld during ceremonies to welcome Mexicana into the alliance.

In an interview with the Asahi Shimbun on 1 January 2010, JAL president Haruka Nishimatsu stated his preference in forming a partnership with Delta over American, and the Yomiuri Shimbun reported shortly thereafter that JAL and the Japanese government-backed Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation would likely choose to form a business and capital tie-up with Delta, as part of which JAL would enter SkyTeam and reduce its international flight operations in favor of code-share agreements with Delta, and that American Airlines had begun procedures to end negotiations with JAL. Both JAL and American denied the report. The Wall Street Journal then reported that American Airlines raised its JAL investment offer by $300 million, to $1.4 billion, and in separate comments to the press, Delta president Ed Bastian said that Delta was "willing and able to raise additional capital through third-party resources."

JAL was one of the largest Boeing 747-400 operators (the other being British Airways and Singapore Airlines). The last 747 was retired in early 2011 as part of its restructuring program, ending 41 years of 747 service.

After JAL filed for bankruptcy, there were further media reports that JAL would leave Oneworld in favor of SkyTeam, but JAL president Masaru Onishi said on 1 February that the new JAL leadership was "seriously reviewing the issue from scratch, without being influenced by previous discussions," and its decision on an alliance partner would be made soon.

On 7 February, several news outlets reported that JAL would decide to keep its alliance with American Airlines and end talks with Delta. Inamori and ETIC officials, according to the reports, decided that switching alliances from Oneworld to Skyteam would be too risky and could hinder JAL's ability to turn around quickly. Two days later, JAL officially announced that it would strengthen its partnership with American, including a joint application for antitrust immunity on transpacific routes. The airline would also fortify its relationship with other partners in the Oneworld alliance.

JAL emerged from bankruptcy protection in March 2011. In July, ETIC selected Nomura Holdings, Daiwa Securities, Mitsubishi UFJ, Morgan Stanley, Mizuho Securities, SMBC, and Nikko Securities to underwrite the sale of its equity stake in JAL, without specifying amounts or dates. On 6 January 2012, JAL announced its intent to relist its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in an initial public offering (IPO) of up to ￥1 trillion, which would be the largest offering in Japan in more than a year. The airline completed its IPO on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 9201) on 19 September 2012. The Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan sold all its holdings (96.5%) in JAL for ￥650 billion, greater than its ￥350 billion investment in 2010.

Following its exit from bankruptcy protection, JAL began several new partnerships within the Oneworld alliance. The transpacific joint venture between JAL and American commenced in April 2011. JAL formed Jetstar Japan, a low-cost carrier joint venture with Qantas subsidiary Jetstar Airways, in July. In 2012, JAL and British Airways parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) submitted applications to the Japanese government and European Union respectively in seeking a joint venture business operation for flights between Japan and Europe. Finnair applied to join the JV with IAG in July 2013, in conjunction with JAL starting new nonstop service to Helsinki.

Reiwa era

Between 2020 and 2021, Japan Airlines incorporated numerous safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Japan Airlines undertakes JAL FlySafe hygiene measures to prevent the spread of virus, in order to provide all Japan Airlines guests with a safe and secure travel experience. Measures taken by Japan Airlines to protect guests and keep them safe from infection include face masks and face guards worn by airport staff, disinfecting areas around seats, including tables, armrests, screens, and controllers, and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces, such as lavatory doorknobs and faucet handles.

On June 18, 2021, Japan airlines announced it had conducted the first flight with loading 2 different types of Sustainable Aviation Fuel produced domestically in Japan. The flight was directed from Tokyo (Haneda) to Sapporo (Shin-Chitose) and used 3,132 liters (9.1% mixing ratio) of SAF sourced from wood chips and from microalgae. It was the first flight in the world to use biofuel derived from gasified wood chips and to mix two different types of biofuels.

In May 2023, JAL announced its intention to reintroduce dedicated cargo service using Boeing 767-300BCF aircraft converted from its passenger fleet. This service is planned to begin in early 2024. The company retired its previous fleet of Boeing 747 freighters in 2011.

Senior management

• Chairman: Yuji Akasaka (since April 2024)
• President and CEO: Mitsuko Tottori (since April 2024)

In January 2024, the company announced that Mitsuko Tottori would succeed Yuji Akasaka as president. As of 1 April 2024, Tottori became the first female president in the history of the company. She began her career as a flight attendant at Toa Domestic Airlines in 1985 after graduating from a two-year college. With over 30 years of experience as a flight attendant, Tottori had served as the senior managing director in charge of cabin safety and passenger service. Akasaka replaced Yoshiharu Ueki as chairman.

List of former chairmen

1. Aiichiro Fujiyama (1951–1953)
2. Kunizo Hara (1953–1960)
3. Kogoro Uemura (1960–1969)
4. Teruo Godo (1969–1971)
5. Shizuma Matsuo (1971–1972)
6. Ataru Kobayashi (1973–1977)
7. Kogoro Uemura (1977–1978); second term
8. Shozo Hotta (1979–1981)
9. Shizuo Asada (1981–1983)
10. Nihachiro Hanamura (1983–1986)
11. Junji Itoh (1986–1988)
12. Fumio Watanabe (1988–1991)
13. Susumu Yamaji (1991–1998)
14. Isao Kaneko (2003–2005)
15. Toshiyuki Shinmachi (2006–2008)
16. Kazuo Inamori (2010–2012)
17. Masaru Onishi (2012–2018)
18. Yoshiharu Ueki (2018–2024)

List of former presidents and CEOs

1. Seijiro Yanagida (1951–1961)
2. Shizuma Matsuo (1961–1971)
3. Shizuo Asada (1971–1981)
4. Yasumoto Takagi (1981–1985)
5. Susumu Yamaji (1985–1990)
6. Matsuo Toshimitsu (1990–1995)
7. Akira Kondo (1995–1998)
8. Isao Kaneko (1998–2005)
9. Toshiyuki Shinmachi (2005–2006)
10. Haruka Nishimatsu (2006–2010)
11. Masaru Onishi (2010–2012)
12. Yoshiharu Ueki (2012–2018)
13. Yuji Akasaka (2018–2024)

Corporate affairs and identity

Business trends

The key trends of Japan Airlines are (as at the financial year ending March 31):

Year	Revenue (￥ bn)	Net income (￥ bn)
2018	1,487	150
2019	1,385	48.0
2020	481	–286
2021	682	–177
2022	1,375	34.4

Organization

Subsidiaries and affiliates of Japan Airlines

In addition to its operations under the JAL name, the airline owns five domestic airlines which feed or supplement mainline JAL flights:

• J-Air (JLJ) (Member of oneworld) – regional jet services based in Osaka International Airport.
• Japan Air Commuter (JAC) (Member of oneworld) – turboprop services based in Kagoshima and several destinations out of Kagoshima.
• Hokkaido Air System (HAC) (Member of oneworld) – turboprop services based in Hokkaido and several destinations out of Hokkaido.
• Japan Transocean Air (JTA) (Member of oneworld) – jet services from/to Okinawa.
• Ryukyu Air Commuter (RAC) – turboprop services based in Okinawa.

Former subsidiaries:

• JALways was the airline's international subsidiary, which handled low-yield flights to resort destinations in Hawaii, Oceania, and Southeast Asia.
• JAL Express (JEX) was the airline's low-cost carrier for jet services between secondary cities, it merged into Japan Airlines in 2014.
• Japan Asia Airways (JAA) was the airline's subsidiary formed in 1975 to allow JAL to fly to China (Taiwan) without compromising traffic rights held by the airline for destinations in the People's The People's Republic of China (PRC). 

JALUX Inc., established in 1962, is the airline's procurement business which handles various work for the company, including the JAL SELECTION merchandise and in-flight meals and refreshments, supplies for Blue Sky and JAL-DFS shops, aircraft fuel components, cabin services, and in-flight duty-free. JALUX merged with JAS Trading on 1 January 2004, to unify support operations for the JAL group.

JAL Cargo is the brand of the airline group's freight service and is a member of the WOW cargo alliance with these products: J Speed, General Cargo, and Dangerous Goods. In the fiscal year ended 31 March 2009, the cargo division carried 500,779 tonnes of freight domestically and 627,213 tonnes of freight internationally.

On 1 April 2011, the airline changed its trade name from Japan Airlines International Co., Ltd (株式会社日本航空インターナショナル, Kabushiki-gaisha Nihon Koku Intānashonaru) to Japan Airlines Co., Ltd (日本航空株式会社, Nihon Koku Kabushiki-gaisha). in the first quarter of 2019, JAL launches its low-cost carrier, Zipair Tokyo, which will focus on medium to long-haul destinations. It is estimated to commence operation in summer 2020.

Headquarters

Japan Airlines headquarters in Shinagawa, Tokyo

The headquarters, the Nomura Fudosan Tennozu Building (野村不動産天王洲ビル, Nomura Fudosan Tennozu Biru), is located on Tennozu Isle in Higashi Shinagawa, Shinagawa, Tokyo. The 26-floor building was a project of the Kajima Corporation. The building, which also has two underground levels, has a land area of 11,670.4 square metres (125,619 sq ft) and a floor area of 82,602.11 square metres (889,121.7 sq ft).

Several divisions of JAL, including JALPAK, JAL Aero-Consulting, and JAL Hotels are located in the building. The building also houses the Japan office of American Airlines. It is also known as the JAL Building (ＪＡＬビルディング, JAL Birudingu), the Japan Airlines Headquarters, and the Shinagawa Kyodo Building.

When JAL was originally established in 1951, its headquarters were in Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo. By 1965, Japan Airlines was headquartered in the Tokyo Building in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo. The Yomiuri Shimbun stated that because Japan Airlines worked closely with the Japanese government, people mockingly referred to the Tokyo Building as "a branch office of the transport ministry."

On 28 June 1996, construction was completed on the JAL Building. On 27 July 1996, JAL moved its headquarters into the JAL Building. The Flight Operation Center at the JAL Building began on 20 September 1996. A holding company for JAL and Japan Airlines System, a carrier merging into JAL, was established on 2 October 2002; the head office of that company, Japan Airlines System (JALS) (日本航空システム, Nihon Koku Shisutemu), was in 2-15-1 Konan in Shinagawa Intercity, Minato, Tokyo. On 11 August 2003, the headquarters of JAS moved from Haneda Maintenance Center 1 to the JAL Building. On 25 November 2003, the JALS headquarters moved to the JAL Building. Originally the JAL Building was co-owned by Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi Trading Co.; they co-owned a subsidiary that owned the JAL Building. In 2004, the building was to be sold to Nomura Real Estate for 65 billion yen. The contract date was 1 December 2004, and the handover date was 18 March 2005.

The JAL Subsidiary JALUX Inc. at one time had its headquarters in the JAL Building. One group of employees moved out of the building on 26 July 2010, and one moved out on 2 August 2010.

Livery

Logo and basic liveries

A former Japan Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in the 1990s tsurumaru livery.

A former Japan Airlines McDonnell-Douglas MD-90 in the former Arc of the Sun livery.

A Japan Airlines Boeing 787-8 in the current tsurumaru livery.

The JAL livery is called the tsurumaru (鶴丸) or "crane circle." It is an image of a Japanese red-crown crane with its wings extended in full flight. The Tsurumaru JAL logo was created in 1958 by Jerry Huff, the creative director at Botsford, Constantine and Gardner of San Francisco, which had been the advertising agency for Japan Airlines from its earliest days. JAL had used several logos up until 1958. When the airline arranged to buy new Douglas DC-8s, it decided to create a new official logo for the inauguration of its jet service worldwide.

In the creation of the logo, Huff was inspired by the personal crests of Samurai families. In a book he'd been given, We Japanese, he found pages of crests, including the crane. On his choice of the crane, he writes: "I had faith that it was the perfect symbol for Japan Airlines. I found that the Crane myth was all positive—it mates for life (loyalty), and flies high for miles without tiring (strength)".

The tsurumaru livery was in use until 2002 when it was replaced by a livery called the "Arc of the Sun." The livery featured the motif of a rising sun on a creamy parchment-colored background.

JAL is a strong supporter of UNICEF and expresses its support by having a "We Support UNICEF" logo on each aircraft.

Following its corporate restructuring, Japan Airlines returned to the classic tsurumaru logo starting on 1 April 2011. A Boeing 767-300 was the last remaining aircraft that had the "Arc of the Sun" livery until it was retired in January 2016.

Special liveries

JAL is known for adopting special liveries. A Boeing 747 (JA8908) carried a World Cup soccer livery in 2002. Another Boeing 747 (JA8907) was the Matsui Jet, featuring the famous Japanese baseball player Hideki Matsui in 2003. One of the airline's Boeing 767-300 (JA8253) was the Expo 2005 aircraft.

Various aircraft in the JAL fleet also carry a Yokoso Japan logo supporting the Visit Japan campaign, in various forms. In late 2005, Japan Airlines began using a Boeing 777 (JA8941), featuring Japanese actor Shingo Katori on one side, and the television series Saiyuki, along with its main character "Goku" on the other side.

JAL has also been known for its liveries featuring Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, as it is the official airline of the Tokyo Disney Resort. It sponsors the attraction Star Jets (not related to past Star Jets fleet with the old tsurumaru livery), which features a variation of the current livery on the ride vehicles. At one time there were more than six widebody aircraft painted with the special liveries.

Some Boeing 747s of JAL had also been painted with tropical-influenced liveries along with Reso'cha titles. These aircraft were typically used by JALways on charter flights to holiday destinations in the Pacific, such as Hawaii. Reso'cha was a marketing abbreviation for Resort Charter and were formerly known as JAL Super Resort Express.

JAL Eco Jet

In April 2007, JAL debuted a Boeing 777-300 (JA8941, since moved to JA752J) with a special Oneworld livery to promote the airlines's entry to the global airline alliance. Previously this aircraft carried the Shingo Katori and the Saiyuki television livery.

JAL repainted a Boeing 777-200 (JA8984) in 2008 and a Boeing 777-300ER (JA731J) in 2009 to have a green rather than red arc on its tail, along with a green origami airplane on the fuselage, and named them the Eco Jet, to highlight the company's efforts to reduce the environmental impact of commercial aviation. Following the brand image change to the third Tsurumaru livery, JAL redesigned the 2 Eco Jet liveries. JA8984's livery was removed in April 2019 prior to its retirement in December 2019 while JA731J's livery was moved onto JA734J (another JAL 777-300ER), which continues flying the Eco Jet livery as of March 2020.

In 2009, JAL repainted JA8941 again, as well as a JTA 737-400 (JA8933) to promote Kobukuro and their new album Calling as well as a live concert tour in Okinawa and around Japan. This livery was released officially on 30 July 2009.

On 4 September 2010, in conjunction with the Boku no Miteiru Fukei album, JAL and Arashi (which one of their songs, "Movin' On", is used for a commercial) introduced a new livery on one of its Boeing 777-200 JA8982 featuring the five members of Arashi in the aircraft; the first flight was on the day after on 5 September. In May 2019, JAL has also painted one of its Boeing 787-9 JA873J the 'ARASHI HAWAII JET' livery, and in November, painted an Airbus A350-900 JA04XJ the '20th ARASHI THANKS JET' livery to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary.

On 3 August 2017, JAL announced a new livery on board an Embraer 190 of subsidiary J-Air, in commemoration of the new Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem ride in Universal Studios Japan.

Starting from April 2019, JAL has also introduced the 'Tokyo 2020, Fly For it!' series of special liveries, in commemoration of the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics and featuring the two mascots of the 2020 Olympics. There have been 2 jetliners in JAL fleet painted so far, namely JA773J (a Boeing 777-200, painted April 2019) and JA601J (a Boeing 767-300ER, painted July 2019)

In December 2022, JAL and The Walt Disney Company Japan introduced a special livery on its Boeing 767-300ER JA615J in commemoration of the upcoming "Disney 100 Years of Wonder" celebration for Walt Disney Company's 100th anniversary in 2023.

Branding

In 1959, Japan Airlines adopted their logo, which is a crane known as the 'Tsuru' crane, along with a livery featuring a white top with the text "JAPAN AIR LINES" in capital italic letters, an exposed-metal bottom, and red and dark blue pinstripes separating the two.

Landor Associates created JAL's 1989 brand identity, along with a livery that featured a new stylized JAL initialism with a red square and grey band on the front of fuselage, and the name "Japan Airlines" featured in small black text. The 1989 livery retained the 'Tsuru' crane logo on the tail but with the same stylised JAL lettering incorporated within it.

After Japan Airlines and Japan Air System merged in 2004, the Tokyo office of Landor and JAL worked together again to create a new brand identity. Landor devised a livery referred to as the "Arc of the Sun". The 2000s rebranding began in April 2002 and was completed in April 2004. The brand identity firm designed 300,000 specific items for JAL. The JAL acronym remained, but it was changed to include a curved bar, which replaced the simple red square and gray rectangle used from 1989. The curved bar was likened to a samurai sword. The tail now featured a quarter sun outlined in silver.

JAL changed its branding again on 1 April 2011 as part of their post-bankruptcy restructuring. The new livery was reminiscent of the original 1959 one, featured the tsurumaru back on the vertical stabilizer and the full name in capital italic letters above the windows, but did not include the pinstripes or exposed metal bottom, and retained the two-word "JAPAN AIRLINES" spelling over the original "JAPAN AIR LINES". Repainting was completed in January 2016.

•  
• 1959–1989
 
•  
• 1989–2002
 
•  
• 2002–2011
 
•  
• 2011–present

Destinations

Japan Airlines hubs map Further information: List of Japan Airlines destinations

Japan Airlines serves 60 domestic destinations and 39 international destinations in Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania, excluding codeshare agreements. The airline's international hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Itami Airport. Japan Airlines and its subsidiaries currently operate over 4,500 international flights and 26,000 domestic flights monthly.

In the fiscal year ended 31 March 2009, the airline introduced or increased services on ten international routes, including between Tokyo (Narita) and New York City, and between Osaka (Kansai) and Shanghai; and it ceased operations on four international routes, including between Tokyo (Narita) and Xi'an, and between Osaka (Kansai) and Qingdao. Domestically, JAL suspended 14 routes, including between Sapporo and Okinawa. Additionally, the airline expanded codesharing alliance with fellow Oneworld partners like American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Finnair, and other airlines, including Air France, China Eastern and Jetstar.

In the early years, Narita International Airport had been the main hub of international and freight flights. Nowadays, Haneda Airport is becoming a major international hub due to its close proximity to the Tokyo metropolis, and the heavy expansion occurring there.

Codeshare agreements

Japan Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

• Aeromexico
• Air France
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Aircalin
• Alaska Airlines
• Amakusa Airlines
• American Airlines
• Bangkok Airways
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• China Airlines
• China Eastern Airlines
• China Southern Airlines
• Emirates
• Fiji Airways
• Finnair
• Fuji Dream Airlines
• Garuda Indonesia
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• Jetstar Airways
• Jetstar Japan
• Kalitta Air
• Korean Air
• LATAM Brasil
• LATAM Chile
• Malaysia Airlines
• MIAT Mongolian Airlines
• Oriental Air Bridge
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Brunei Airlines
• Royal Jordanian
• Shanghai Airlines
• SriLankan Airlines
• VietJet Air
• Vistara
• WestJet
• XiamenAir

Joint ventures

In addition to the above codeshares, Japan Airlines has entered into joint ventures with the following airlines:

• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Malaysia Airlines

Fleet

Japan Airlines operates a fleet of 150 wide-body and narrow-body aircraft manufactured by Airbus and Boeing.

Current fleet

As of January 2025, Japan Airlines operates the following aircraft:

Japan Airlines fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers					Notes
			F	J	W	Y	Total
Airbus A321neo	—	11	TBA					Deliveries to commence in 2028.
Airbus A350-900	15	3	12	94	—	263	369	Order with 25 options. Equipped with domestic configuration. One additional aircraft to be delivered in 2025 as a replacement for the aircraft written off as Flight 516.
				56		323	391
	—	20	TBA					To be equipped with international configuration. Deliveries to commence in 2027.
Airbus A350-1000	9	4	6	54	24	155	239	Replacing Boeing 777-300ER.
Boeing 737-800	42	—	—	12	—	132	144	Equipped with international configuration.
				20		145	165	Equipped with domestic configuration.
Boeing 737 MAX 8	—	38	TBA					Deliveries to commence in 2026.
Boeing 767-300ER	27	—	—	24	—	175	199	Equipped with international configuration.
				42		219	261	Equipped with domestic configuration.
			5			205	252
Boeing 777-300ER	12	—	8	49	40	147	244	To be retired and replaced by Airbus A350-1000 in 2025. Includes the Boeing 777-300ER prototypes (JA731J and JA732J).
Boeing 787-8	23	—	—	30	—	156	186	Equipped with international configuration.
						176	206
			6	58		227	291	Equipped with domestic configuration.
Boeing 787-9	22	10	—	44	35	116	195	Deliveries through 2027. Order with 10 options.
				52			203
				28	21	190	239
JAL Cargo fleet
Boeing 767-300BCF	3	—	Cargo
Total	150	86

Gallery

• 
• Airbus A350-900
 
• 
• Airbus A350-1000
 
• 
• Boeing 737-800
 
• 
• Boeing 767-300ER
 
• 
• Boeing 777-300ER
 
• 
• Boeing 787-8
 
• 
• Boeing 787-9

As the Japanese government plans to add more slots at Tokyo's Haneda Airport by 2020 (in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics), Japan Airlines intends to order more wide-bodies for growth in 2018 or 2019: it could exercise its 25 options on Airbus A350s on top of its 31 firm orders, due for delivery from 2019, and study others such as the proposed Boeing New Midsize Airplane or the 787-10 to add to its 787-9 with 10 remaining to be delivered. Japan Airlines' Airbus A350 is currently maintained via the MRO subsidiary of Safran, OEMServices.

Japan Airlines operates a mixture of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. The airline provides economy class service on all routes; business class (J) service with larger seats in the cabin front on most major domestic routes; premium economy on some international routes; business class on all international routes; and first class on some long-haul and domestic routes.

On 5 December 2017, JAL announced it had invested $10 million in the aircraft manufacturer Boom Supersonic, which is currently developing a new supersonic commercial airliner capable of seating up to 55 passengers. In exchange for its funding, JAL will be able to pre-order up to 20 Boom aircraft.

Cargo

JAL Cargo is a freighter airline operating for JAL. It ended dedicated freighter aircraft operations in October 2010 after more than 30 years of service. It operated both propeller and jet aircraft through the years, most recently, Boeing 747-400s (including aircraft converted from passenger to freighter configuration) and Boeing 767-300Fs. However, in 2023, JAL announced that they would bring back dedicated cargo 767 freighters, in a response to changes in labor regulations forcing Japanese truckers to work less hours.

Former fleet

A Boeing 727-100 at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in 1964.

A Boeing 747-100BSR/SUD with stretched upper deck in 1987.

A Boeing 747-400 with Yokoso! Japan tiles.

A Boeing 747-400D (Domestic Version).

JAL Cargo Boeing 747-400BCF just after takeoff from London Heathrow Airport in 2007.

A Boeing 777-200ER with Oneworld livery.

A Convair 880 at Los Angeles International Airport in 1964.

A Douglas DC-8-53 at New York in 1970. This aircraft would later crash as Japan Air Lines Flight 471 in 1972.

A McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40.

A McDonnell Douglas MD-11.

Japan Airlines previously operated the following aircraft:

Japan Airlines historical fleet

Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Notes
Airbus A300-600R	22	2006	2011	Taken over from merged Japan Air System.
Airbus A350-900	1	2021	2024	Written off as flight JL516.
Beechcraft h38	Un-known	1969	Un-known	Used for pilot training.
Boeing 727-100	Un-known	1965	1988
Boeing 737-400	7	1995	2003
Boeing 747-100	7	1970	2002	Launch customer with Pan Am.
	1		1977	Converted into a freighter and transferred to JAL Cargo.
Boeing 747-100SF	1	1977	1992
Boeing 747SR-100	9	1973	2005	Launch customer.
	1		1985	Crashed as flight JL123.
Boeing 747SR-100/SUD	2	1986	2006
Boeing 747-200B	23	1971	2007
	2		1973	Converted into freighters and transferred to JAL Cargo.
Boeing 747-200F	8	1991	2008
Boeing 747-200SF	3	1974	2007
Boeing 747-300	16	1983	2009
Boeing 747-400	28	1990	2011
	6		2005	Converted into freighters and transferred to JAL Cargo.
Boeing 747-400BCF	6	2006	2010
Boeing 747-400D	8	1991	2011	Launch customer.
Boeing 747-400F	2	1991	2011
Boeing 767-200	4	1985	2011
Boeing 767-300	20	1986	2021	Launch customer.
Boeing 767-300ERF	3	2007	2010	Production freighters for JAL Cargo before suspension of dedicated cargo services.
Boeing 777-200	8	1996	2021
	7			Taken over from merged Japan Air System.
Boeing 777-200ER	11	2002	2023
Boeing 777-300	7	1998	2021
Boeing 777-300ER	1	2005	2024
Convair 880	9	1961	1971
Douglas DC-3	1	1951	1951	Operated invitational flights for three days on 27 August 1951.
Douglas DC-4	2	1952	1964
Douglas DC-6B	10	1954	1969	Operated the airline's inaugural international flight. Some aircraft were converted into freighters.
Douglas DC-7C	5	1958	1965	Some aircraft were converted into freighters.
Douglas DC-8-30	4	1960	1975
Douglas DC-8-50	15	1962	1982
	1		1972	Crashed as flight JL471.
Douglas DC-8-60	29	1968	1988
	1		1968	Crashed as flight JL2.
	1		1972	Crashed as flight JL446.
	1		1977	Crashed as flight JL715.
	1		1982	Crashed as flight JL350.
Douglas DC-8-60F	4	1968	1988
	1		1977	Crashed as flight JL1045.
Martin 2-0-2	2	1951	Un-known	Operated the airline's inaugural scheduled flight.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40	20	1976	2005
McDonnell Douglas MD-11	10	1993	2004	All MD-11s were named after J-Birds. Later sold to UPS Airlines for freighter conversion.
McDonnell Douglas MD-81	11	2006	2010	Taken over from merged Japan Air System.
McDonnell Douglas MD-87	8	2006	2008	Taken over from merged Japan Air System.
McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30	16	2006	2013	Taken over from merged Japan Air System.
NAMC YS-11	1	1969	1970	Used for postal service.
	1			Used for passenger service.
Tupolev Tu-114	1	1967	1969	Used in association with Aeroflot.

Services

Cabin classes

A350-1000 Cabin

In January 2024, Japan Airlines debuted new First, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy class cabins on their A350-1000 fleet of aircraft. These cabins include enclosed suites, manufactured by Safran GB, and in-seat audio in the First and Business class cabins. The A350-1000 includes 6 First class seats in a 1-1-1 layout, 54 Business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout, 24 Premium Economy seats in a 2-4-2 layout, and 155 Economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout.

New cabin

JAL First Class suite on a Boeing 777-300ER

JAL introduced new international First and Executive Class seats: the JAL Suite for First Class, featured a seat 20 percent roomier than the Skysleeper Solo in a 1-2-1 configuration; and the JAL Shell Flat Neo Seat for Executive Class Seasons, a slightly revised version of the original Shell Flat Seat, with a wider seat; expanded center console; and the world's first in-flight photo art exhibit, Sky Gallery. These seats, along with the Premium Economy seats, debuted on Japan Airlines Flights 5 and 6, operated on the Tokyo–New York route on 1 August 2008. It expanded to the Tokyo–San Francisco route on 13 September 2008, and the Tokyo–Chicago and Los Angeles in 2009. Between 2010 and 2017, the new cabin was also flown on flights from Narita to Jakarta, the only Asian destination for which the new cabin was used during that period.

In 2013, JAL debuted new versions of its economy and premium economy seats called Sky Premium and Sky Wider Economy respectively. The Sky Premium seats, found on selected 777-300s and soon 787s, feature the same width as the Sky Shell seats but with a 4" larger seat pitch of 42" and a 3" larger recline of up to 10" compared to a 38" pitch and 7" recline on the Sky Shell seats. The Sky Wider Economy seats, found on select 767's and select 777-300s, feature slimmer seats with 4" more legroom, and another inch of width totaling up to 35" of seat pitch, and a 19" width compared to the 31" pitch and 18" width of standard economy seats, plus a larger PTV screen of up to 11". The newer 787s will feature a new version of the Sky Wider seats called Sky Wider II, which will feature 5" more legroom and 2" more width totaling up to 36" of seat pitch and a 20" width in a less dense 2-4-2 setup instead of the 3-3-3 setup commonly used in a 787's economy cabin.

In premium cabins, JAL introduced fully lie-flat seats, branded as Sky Suite in Business Class cabin and enhanced First Suite seats in First Class cabin. The Sky Suite is in a staggered 2-3-2 setup that offer direct aisle access to all business class passengers. These can be found on all 13 of JAL's Boeing 777-300ER aircraft (named SS7), 10 of JAL's 787-8 aircraft (named SS8) and 8 of JAL's 787-9 aircraft (named SS9). Later in 2015, JAL introduced a new version of Sky Suite, called Sky Suite II, in order to fit lie-flat seats on its new international 767-300ER fleet (named SS6), in a 1-2-1 setup. Since the seats are less wide than the original Sky Suite, SS6 aircraft are often seen on shorter international routes, like inter-Asian routes and Hawaiian routes. In 2016, as JAL was upgrading its Boeing 777-200ER fleet used on selected inter-Asian and Hawaiian flights, JAL introduced a third version of Sky Suite, called Sky Suite III, which is a lie-flat reverse-herringbone arranged seat. This seat is equipped on JAL's most Boeing 777-200ER fleet (named SS2) and 5 of JAL's Boeing 787-9 fleet (named SS9 II) in a 1-2-1 setup. Like SS6 aircraft, SS2 and SS9 II aircraft are operating on shorter international routes.

International services

JAL Executive Class Seasons Shell Flat seat

The airline's international services with existing cabins feature the fully reclining JAL First Class JAL Suite; JAL Business Class JAL Sky Suite, JAL Sky Suite II, JAL Sky Suite III, JAL Shell Flat NEO, JAL Skyluxe Seat or JAL Skyrecliner; JAL Premium Economy JAL Sky Premium; and JAL Economy Class JAL Economy Class Seat or JAL Sky Wider. The First Class Skysleeper Solo reclines fully and features genuine leather upholstery from Poltrona Frau of Italy. The Executive Class Seasons Shell Flat Seat is a lie-flat design with the ability to lower armrests to the same height as the seat when reclined. It features a shell-shaped seat that allows passengers to recline by sliding their seat forward, without having the seat in front intrude when reclining.

Japan domestic services

On Japan domestic services, the airline offers First Class, Executive (Business) Class Class J and Economy Class. The First Class seat is made from premium genuine leather with a seat width of about 53 cm (21 in) and a seat pitch of about 130 cm (51 in). Class J features ergonomically designed reclining seats that promote relaxation by allowing passengers to move naturally and maintain a balanced posture.

In-flight entertainment

MAGIC

JAL Economy cabin on a Airbus A350-900 equipped with in-flight entertainment systems

MAGIC, JAL's in-flight entertainment system, supported by the JAL Mooove! (formerly Entertainment Network), features the latest hit movies and videos, games and audio programs. There are six generations of the MAGIC system: MAGIC-I, MAGIC-II, MAGIC-III, MAGIC-IV, MAGIC-V and the new MAGIC-VI. Introduced on 1 December 2007, the MAGIC-III system provides Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD) entertainment to all passengers. The number of movie, music, video and game channels on MAGIC-III was doubled from 57 to 130 by 2008; and it is installed on all seats on Boeing 767-300ER, 777-200ER and 777-300ER aircraft. Aircraft with MAGIC-I and MAGIC-II have movies that automatically start when the AVOD system is turned on—once the aircraft reaches cruise level—and economy class passengers can tune in to watch the movie in progress; and all movies restart upon completion. Executive and First Class passengers have full AVOD control. MAGIC systems also have JAL's duty-free shopping catalogue, including flight crew recommendations and a video of specials available on the flight. MAGIC-V will feature mostly the same entertainment as MAGIC-III, but with a touch screen controller, along with a handset. There will be USB ports for iPod connectivity, and an easier to control handset. (introduced on selected Boeing 767-300ER routes). The MAGIC-III system is used on internationally configured Boeing 767-300 with Skyluxe Seat, older internationally configured Boeing 767-300ER with Skyluxe Seat, all Boeing 777-200ER, older Boeing 777-300ER with Skysleeper Solo/Suite first class and Shell Flat Seat/Neo Business class. The MAGIC-IV is used on internationally configured Boeing 737-800s, along with a newer look of Skyluxe Seat. It uses 9-inch touchscreens by Panasonic SFX. The MAGIC-V system is deploying across the fleet, with selected Boeing 767-300ERs (Skyrecliner seat) and B787-8 (Shell Flat Neo seat) getting the IFE. Followed by refurbished Boeing 777-300ERs (all aircraft) and selected Boeing 767-300ER aircraft (including those with Skyluxe seat) will get the MAGIC-V along with new seats in all classes. The MAGIC-VI is installed on selected Boeing 787-8s and 777-300s.

Aircraft cameras

In-flight nose camera view

On most JAL international flights, on-plane cameras are available, either on the wings, the belly or on the tail. When the aircraft is in the pushback; taxi; takeoff; ascent; descent; stacking; landing; and docking phases of flight, all TV's in the cabin automatically tune into the video camera outside the aircraft to provide "Pilot Vision" to the passengers. However, new entertainment systems do not have them anymore (with the exception of the airline's new A350, which does have cameras).

Additional media

Skyward, the airline group's inflight magazine, reflecting the company motto of "Dream Skyward". Prior to the merger with JAS, JAL's inflight magazine was called Winds. All of the JAL Group magazines are provided by JALUX.

In a promotion, between 1 June and 31 August 2006, all Executive and First Class passengers would be offered use of Nintendo DS Lites specially manufactured for air travel, with the wireless capabilities removed in order to conform with airline safety standards.

JAL Executive Class Seasons in-flight meal

JAL Business Class food

After a trial run at Haneda airport, JAL announced it will offer selected passengers a VR experience using the Samsung Gear VR and the Samsung S8. Passengers will be able to experience specially curated programming on Germany, Argentina, the Nagoya fireworks and more programs at a later date.

In-flight catering

Japan Airlines offers meals on intercontinental routes, depending on the cabin class, destination and flight length. Western and Japanese menu selections are typically offered, including seasonal menu selections varied by destination. The airline has worked with high-profile chefs, including Fumiko Kono, Shinichi Sato, Koji Shimomura, Naoki Uchiyama, Chikara Yamada, Seiji Yamammoto and Hiroki Yoshitake in the creation of its menus and in 2016, launched a children's menu created by Kono, Yamada, Yamammoto, and Yosuke Suga.

Sakura Lounge

Sakura Lounge in Narita International Airport Terminal 2

Sakura Lounge, named after the Japanese word for cherry blossom, is Japan Airlines' signature lounge. In addition, the airline also operates the following international, including First Class Lounge, Sakura Lounge annex and JAL Lounge; and domestic lounges, including Diamond Premier Lounge and JAL Lounge. Access to the lounges depend on the class of travel or the membership status in the JAL Mileage Bank or JAL Global Club.

Former bus services

Circa the 1990s, JAL previously operated buses from Frankfurt Airport to Dusseldorf to serve customers in that German city, as well as buses from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City to Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Incidents and accidents

1950s

• On 9 April 1952, Mokusei, Flight 301, a Martin 2-0-2 (N90943) leased from Northwest Orient Airlines, struck Mount Mihara while operating the first leg of a Tokyo-Osaka-Fukuoka service. The crash killed all 37 occupants on board the aircraft, including 4 crew members and 33 passengers. Because the aircraft did not have a CVR nor an FDR, the cause was never determined.
• On 30 September 1957, Unzen, Flight 108, a Douglas DC-4-1009 (JA6011), suffered failure of all four engines after takeoff from Osaka Air Base, at an altitude of 300 ft (91 m). The aircraft force-landed in a rice field; all 57 on board were able to escape before the aircraft burned out. The cause was a malfunctioning cross-feed fuel valve.

1960s

• On 25 April 1961, Hakone, a Japan Air Lines Douglas DC-8-32 from San Francisco to Tokyo, touched down and ran off the end of the 8,900 ft (2,700 m) wet runway at Tokyo International Airport. The aircraft stopped after the main gear entered a ditch 9 ft (2.7 m) wide and 6 ft (1.8 m) deep, located 150 ft (46 m) beyond the end of the runway. The aircraft was shipped back and repaired by Douglas Aircraft Company at Long Beach, CA, United States, and returned to service as a Series 53 with a new registration (JA8008) in early 1963 and was renamed Matsushima.
• On 10 April 1962, Haruna, a Japan Air Lines Douglas C-54 from Fukuoka to Tokyo, made a wheels-up landing at Osaka. There were no casualties, however, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was written off.
• On 27 February 1965, Kaede, a Japan Air Lines Convair 880 was performing a low pass training near Iki Airport when, at 150 ft (46 m), descended fast and struck the runway. The aircraft slid and caught fire.
• On 25 December 1965, Kamakura, Flight 813  operated by a Douglas DC-8-33 took off from San Francisco International Airport at 13:08 and suffered an uncontained engine failure on number one engine while climbing through 4,500 ft (1,400 m). A fire erupted in the area of the number one engine, but was quickly extinguished. The aircraft made a safe emergency landing at Oakland International Airport, CA. The probable cause was "a disintegrating engine failure and in-flight fire caused by the failure of maintenance personnel to properly secure the low pressure compressor section torque ring during engine overhaul".
• On 26 August 1966, Ginza, a Japan Air Lines Convair 880 (leased from Japan Domestic Airlines) yawed left for unknown reasons after the nose lifted up during a training flight at Haneda Airport. Some 1,600 m (5,249 ft) into takeoff, the number one engine struck the runway. The aircraft left the runway and the nose pitched down again. All four engines separated as well as the nose and left landing gear; the aircraft caught fire and burned out. All five crew died.
• On 5 October 1967, a Japan Air Lines Beechcraft h38 (JA5137) crashed in a field at Murayama following engine failure while completing a training flight out of Yamagata Airport; all four crew survived.
• On 22 November 1968, Shiga, Flight 2 operated by a Douglas DC-8 accidentally landed in San Francisco Bay approx. 2.5 mi (4.0 km) short of San Francisco International Airport. The aircraft was recovered after being in the water for 55 hours. There were no injuries to the crew or to any passengers. The probable cause was "the improper application of the prescribed procedures to execute an automatic-coupled ILS approach. This deviation from the prescribed procedures was, in part, due to a lack of familiarization and infrequent operation of the installed flight director and autopilot system". The aircraft was repaired by United Airlines at San Francisco International Airport and returned to JAL in March 1969. Pilot Kohhei Asoh said that he mistakenly believed that he was landing on the runway when in fact the plane hit the water several hundred yards away.
• On 24 June 1969, Kikyo, Flight 90 operated by a Convair 880 was taking off from runway 32R at Moses Lake Grant County International Airport. The power was reduced on the number four engine during take-off, however, the aircraft continued to yaw to the right until the number four engine struck and slid off the runway. It burst into flames, killing three of the five crew members on board. The probable cause was a "delayed corrective action during a simulated critical-engine-out takeoff maneuver resulting in an excessive sideslip from which full recovery could not be effected".

1970s

1970–1974

• On 22 February 1970, a teenage boy, Keith Sapsford, climbed into the cargo area of a Douglas DC-8, registration JA8031, operating Flight 772 from Sydney to Tokyo. As the plane was taking off, he fell to his death. Unknowingly, a photographer had photographed the event. 
• On 31 March 1970, Yodo, Flight 351 operated by a Boeing 727 was hijacked by the Japanese Red Army (JRA) while en route from Tokyo to Fukuoka. The nine hijackers released all 122 passengers and seven crew members at Fukuoka Airport and Seoul's Gimpo International Airport, before proceeding to Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, where they surrendered themselves to the North Korean authorities.
• On 14 June 1972, Akan, Flight 471 operated by a Douglas DC-8 struck the banks of River Yamuna, about 20 km (12 mi) east of New Delhi's Palam International Airport (Now known as IGI Airport). The crash killed 10 out of 11 crew members, 72 out of 76 passengers on board and 3 people on the ground died, including famous Brazilian actress Leila Diniz and 16 Americans. Japanese investigators claimed a false glide path signal was responsible for the descent into terrain, while Indian investigators claimed it was caused by the JAL crew's disregard of laid down procedures and the abandonment of all instrument indications without properly ensuring sighting of the runway.
• On 24 September 1972, Haruna, Flight 472 operated by a Douglas DC-8 en route to Bombay landed at Juhu Airport runway 08, instead of Bombay Airport runway 09. The aircraft overran the runway through a ditch. The visibility at the time was 2.5 km (1.6 mi), decreasing to 1.5 km (0.93 mi). There were no injuries reported, but the aircraft was written off.
• On 6 November 1972, Flight 351, a Boeing 727, was hijacked at during a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. Armed with a pistol, he demanded $2 million and to be flown to Cuba. The aircraft returned to Tokyo, where a DC-8 was waiting to fly him to Vancouver and on to Cuba. After releasing most of the hostages, he wanted to board the DC-8 while holding three crewmembers hostage. While entering the DC-8 he was overpowered by police.
• On 28 November 1972, Hida, Flight 446 operated by a Douglas DC-8 from Tokyo to Moscow, climbed to 100 m (330 ft) with a supercritical angle of attack. The aircraft lost height, hit the ground and burst into flames. Nine of the 14 crew members and 52 of the 62 passengers died in the accident. The probable cause was "the supercritical angle of attack was caused by either an inadvertent spoiler-extension in flight, or a loss of control following a number one or two engine failure (due to icing)".
• On 20 July 1973, Flight 404 operated by a Boeing 747-200B was hijacked by 4 men and a woman, shortly after leaving Amsterdam. An accidental explosion of the explosive device the woman hijacker was carrying occurred and she was killed. The aircraft was destined for Anchorage but landed at Dubai and later took off for Damascus and Benghazi. Eventually, all the passengers and crew members were released and the aircraft was blown up on 23 July.
• On 12 March 1974, Flight 903, a Boeing 747SR, was hijacked at Naha Airport by a Japanese man demanding $56 million (much of it in $1000 bills) to study biology and geology. He carried a black suitcase, which he stated contained a bomb or weapons. Seven hours later the man was arrested by police officers disguised as airport workers. The suitcase ultimately contained 16000 yen, an airline ticket, a bottle of vitamins, a sweater and a pair of trousers.
• On 15 July 1974, a Japan Air Lines DC-8 was hijacked by a male passenger who demanded the release of the leader of the Japanese Red Army (JRA). When this demand wasn't met, he then demanded to be flown to Nagoya. After landing at Nagoya the hijacker remained on the flight deck with the pilots. Meanwhile, the flight attendants opened an emergency exit to allow the passengers to escape. Police then stormed the aircraft and arrested the hijacker.

1975–1979

• In February 1975, a Japan Air Lines flight from Tokyo to Paris, making fuel stops in Anchorage and Copenhagen, had 196 passengers and one stewardess, out of 343 on board, fell ill with food poisoning, 143 of whom were seriously ill enough to need hospitalising when the plane reached Copenhagen, 30 of those critically ill. The source of the food poisoning was ham contaminated with Staphylococci from the infected cuts on the fingers of a cook in Anchorage. The ham was used in omelettes which were stored at a high temperature on the plane instead of being chilled, allowing time for the bacteria to multiply and produce an exotoxin that is not destroyed by cooking. The head of Japan Airlines catering service in Anchorage committed suicide shortly afterwards and was the only fatality of the incident. It was only luck that the pilots did not eat the omelettes (their body clocks were not in the right time zone for breakfast) and become incapacitated, leading some airlines to forbid pilots eating certain foods on the passenger menu.
• On 9 April 1975, Flight 514 operated by a Boeing 747SR was hijacked by a man who pointed a gun at a steward and demanded 30 million yen (around $100,000). After landing at Tokyo, police boarded the aircraft and overpowered the hijacker while he was speaking to the pilot. Although the hijacker fired his gun once during the incident, no one was injured.
• On 16 December 1975, Flight 422 operated by a Boeing 747-200B (JA8122) slid off the north side of the east–west taxiway at Anchorage International Airport during taxi for a takeoff on runway 06R. The aircraft weathercocked about 70 degrees to the left and slid backward down a snow-covered embankment with an average slope of -13 degrees. The aircraft came to a stop on a heading of 150 degrees on a service road about 250 ft (76 m) from, and 50 ft (15 m) below, the taxiway surface.
• On 5 January 1976, Flight 768 operated by a Douglas DC-8 was hijacked by two Filipino passengers armed with pistols and explosives at Manila Airport before takeoff. Negotiations began and all but eight passengers were released. The hijackers demanded a free flight to Japan, but when Japanese authorities refused to give the aircraft permission to land, the hijackers surrendered.
• On 13 January 1977, Cargo Flight 1045, a Douglas DC-8 freighter stalled after lift off from Anchorage International Airport and crashed 300 m (980 ft) past the runway. The aircraft was on a non-scheduled operation and all five occupants on board, including three crew members and two passengers, were killed. The aircraft began takeoff at the wrong position on the runway and his decision was not questioned by his fellow crew members. The captain's initial blood alcohol level was 298 mg (4.60 gr); 100 mg (1.5 gr) was the legal intoxication limit for the state of Alaska. The probable cause was "a stall that resulted from the pilot's control inputs aggravated by airframe icing while the pilot was under the influence of alcohol. Contributing to the cause of this accident was the failure of the other flightcrew members to prevent the captain from attempting the flight".
• On 27 September 1977, Flight 715 operated by a Douglas DC-8 from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur struck a 300 ft (91 m) hill on approach during a thunderstorm, 4 mi (6.4 km) short of the runway, while on a VOR approach to runway 15. The fatalities for the accident include 8 crew members and 26 passengers.
• On 28 September 1977, Flight 472 operated by a Douglas DC-8 was hijacked by the JRA. The aircraft was en route from Paris to Tokyo with 156 people on board, made a scheduled stop in Bombay. Shortly after taking off from Bombay, five armed JRA members hijacked the aircraft and ordered to be flown to Dacca, Bangladesh. At Dacca (now Dhaka), the hijackers took the passengers and crew hostage, demanding $6 million and the release of nine imprisoned JRA members. A chartered JAL flight carried the money and six of the nine imprisoned JRA members to Dacca, where the exchange took place on October 2. The hijackers released 118 passengers and crew members, and all remaining hostages were freed later.
• On 2 June 1978, Flight 115 operated by a Boeing 747SR suffered a tailstrike while landing at Osaka; two passengers were seriously injured and another 23 suffered minor injuries. Although the aircraft was repaired in June and July 1978, it was lost in 1985 in the crash of JAL 123 (The worst single-aircraft air disaster) .
• On 23 November 1979, a Japan Air Lines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 was hijacked shortly after takeoff from Osaka by a male passenger. He used a plastic knife and a bottle opener and demanded to be flown to the Soviet Union. The aircraft diverted to Narita Airport to refuel; the hijacker was overpowered before the aircraft was refueled.

1980s

• On 9 February 1982, Flight 350 operated by a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 was on scheduled passenger flight from Fukuoka to Tokyo. The aircraft crashed on approach into the shallow water of Tokyo Bay, 510 m (1,670 ft) short of the runway 33R threshold. The nose and the right hand wing separated from the fuselage. Among the 166 passengers and 8 crew, 24 passengers were killed. The report shows that the captain had experienced some form of a mental aberration. He was prosecuted, but he was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
• On 17 September 1982, Flight 792 operated by a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 took off from Shanghai at 13:57. Nine minutes later, the crew heard a noise coming from the lower middle part of the aircraft. This was immediately followed by a hydraulic low level warning; a hydraulic reservoir air low pressure warning; a complete loss of hydraulic system pressure; abnormal flap position indications; and a complete loss of air brake pressure. The flight crew decided to return to Shanghai for an emergency landing on runway 36. The aircraft overran the runway and came to a rest in a drainage ditch.
• On 12 August 1985, Flight 123 operated by a Boeing 747SR (the same aircraft aforementioned involved in a tailstrike incident in 1978) bound for Osaka, lost all its hydraulic flight control systems shortly after takeoff from Tokyo International Airport and, after attempting to limp back to Tokyo, crashed into Mount Takamagahara near Gunma Prefecture. It was the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in history (and the second deadliest accident in history, since the 1977 Tenerife airport disaster); 520 out of 524 people on board died, including the famous singer Kyu Sakamoto.
• On 17 November 1986, The crew of Cargo Flight 1628, operated by a Boeing 747-200F, while en route to Tokyo, claimed to have spotted two Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) at the Reykjavik to Anchorage section of the flight. They both had two rectangular arrays of nozzles / thrusters. When the UFOs were closer to the aircraft, the crew felt the heat coming from the nozzles / thrusters. They requested the air traffic controller in Anchorage, Alaska to send other close flights to witness the UFOs. However, a United Airlines flight came near the scene, but the crew did not report anything near Flight 1628. The unusual sight was for just under an hour and it ended near Denali.

1990s

• On 2 October 1991, a Japan Airlines Boeing 747-200B was climbing through FL165 when the force from a hot liquid released from a burst pipe in the pressurization system, and blew a 100 cm × 70 cm (3.3 ft × 2.3 ft) hole in the fuselage beneath the port wing. The captain dumped fuel and returned safely to Tokyo.
• On 31 March 1993, Cargo Flight 46E, a Boeing 747-100 operated by Evergreen International Airlines, experienced severe turbulence at an altitude of about 2,000 ft (610 m) after departure about 12:24 local time, resulted in dynamic multi-axis lateral loadings that exceeded the ultimate lateral load-carrying of the number two engine pylon. This caused the number two engine to separate from the aircraft; the number one engine was maintained at emergency/maximum power and the aircraft landed safely back at Anchorage International Airport at 12:45.
• On 8 June 1997, Etupirka, Flight 706, operated by a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 from Hong Kong to Nagoya, descended through approx. 17,000 ft (5,200 m) over the Shima Peninsula for an approach to Nagoya. It then experienced abrupt and abnormal altitude changes, which injured five passengers and seven crew members. The captain was indicted for an alleged error in piloting the MD-11 aircraft, and then blamed for the death of a cabin crew member 20 months after the incident. The Nagoya District Court later acquitted the 54-year-old captain, Koichi Takamoto, on 31 July 2004.

2000s

• On 31 January 2001, in the Japan Airlines mid-air incident, Flight 907 operated by a Boeing 747-400D and Flight 958 operated by a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 had a near miss incident near Yaizu, Shizuoka.
• On 12 November 2001, Flight 047, operated by a Boeing 747-400 en route to Tokyo from JFK in New York City, produced the wake turbulence that was the initiating factor in the loss of American Airlines Flight 587; this was neither the fault of nor had any effect on the Japan Airlines flight.
• On 11 May 2009, Flight 61, operated by a Boeing 747-400 prepared to depart from Los Angeles International Airport to Narita International Airport before an empty metal baggage container was sucked into the outer left-side engine. The cause of the incident was believed to due to a baggage cart being parked or driven too closely to the aircraft. None of the 245 passengers or 18 crew members were injured in the incident, with Japan Airlines creating flight arrangements for those affected. The plane was towed back to the terminal and taken out of service for examination.

2010s

• On January 7, 2013, ground crew workers noticed smoke coming out from the battery compartment in a parked Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the gate. This fire was caused by overcharged lithium-ion batteries, eventually leading to the grounding of the worldwide Boeing 787 fleet and subsequent redesign of the battery systems.
• On 28 October 2018, Japan Airlines pilot Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, 42, was arrested at Heathrow Airport for being under the influence after failing a breathalyzer test. He pled guilty to exceeding the alcohol limit on 1 November.

2020s

• On December 4, 2020, Flight 904, operated by a Boeing 777-200 from Okinawa to Tokyo Haneda, suffered a fan blade failure in one of its two PW4084 engines. None of the 189 occupants on board were injured in the incident.
• On 2 January 2024, Flight 516, operated by an Airbus A350-941 registered as JA13XJ, flying from Sapporo to Tokyo, collided with a Japan Coast Guard DHC-8-315Q MPA (JA722A) on the runway at Haneda Airport. Both aircraft caught fire and were written off. All 379 occupants onboard Flight 516 were evacuated, while five of the six crew members aboard the Coast Guard aircraft were killed; the pilot escaping with critical injuries. Flight 516 was the first time in 38 years that a Japan Airlines aircraft was written off. It was also the first serious accident and hull loss of an Airbus A350 since the type's introduction in 2015 and resulted in a total hull loss of the aircraft. The Dash 8 was waiting to depart to Niigata to deliver supplies in response to the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
• In December 2024, two pilots violated the company's alcohol consumption rules before a flight from Melbourne to Tokyo. As a result, President Mitsuko Tottori and Chairman Yuji Akasaka received a 30% pay cut for two months as punishment, with Akasaka also being removed from his role as safety controller. Three other executives in flight operations and safety management departments are also facing disciplinary action. The incident caused a three-hour delay to the flight after the pilots tested positive for alcohol during a pre-flight check at their hotel. JAL's internal guidelines prohibit drinking within 12 hours of boarding and require pilots to have a residual alcohol concentration equivalent to four drinks or less 12 hours before their shift. In response to the incident, JAL submitted preventive measures to the transport ministry, including creating a list of crew members prone to heavy drinking for monitoring purposes.
• On February 4, 2025, Flight 68, operated by a Boeing 787-9 from Narita International Airport to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport struck a parked Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 after landing. No injuries were reported. 

In popular culture

Japan Airlines has been the focus of several television programs in Japan over the years, most being dramas revolving around cabin attendants. Attention Please was a drama in 1970 that followed the story of a young girl who joins JAL to be a cabin attendant while overcoming many difficulties. This show was remade in 2006 again as Attention Please starring Aya Ueto who joins a class of cabin attendant nominees and later graduates. Most of the action of the story of the 2006 series takes place at JAL's Haneda flight operations headquarters. The series has had two specials since the original, marking the main character's transition into JAL's international operations.

During the 1980s, JAL was also the focus of another drama entitled Stewardess Monogatari which featured another young girl during training to be a JAL cabin attendant. During the 1990s, JAL featured several commercials with celebrities, including Janet Jackson who danced and sang to a backdrop of JAL 747s on rotation at LAX.