Japan Airlines to Reduce Boeing 777 Fleet

Aviation Updates Philippines – In response to the aviation downturn amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan Airlines (JAL) is planning to retire a total of 24 Boeing 777s through 2022. 

Image: Japan Airlines Boeing 777 (Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

 

The Tokyo-based carrier announced in a recent release the 24 777s it plans to retire include all of the 11 Boeing 777-200ERs used on international flights and the 13 777s used on domestic services. The 11 777-200ERs will be retired by retired by the end FY 2020 (March 2021), while the domestic 777s will be retired by the end of FY 2022.

 

Along with the retirement of the 777s, JAL will also return 5 Boeing 737-800s during the first half of FY 2022.

 

JAL's decision to retire the aircraft is part of the airline's efforts to reduce maintenance costs and the temporary reduction of air travel demand.

 

Due to the strict travel and quarantine restrictions imposed globally, the airline reported international passenger demand decreased by 97.7% during the period of April 1 to September 30. While domestic passenger demand was recovering during the summer, JAL reports domestic passenger traffic was down by 76.1%.

 

While passenger traffic dropped, JAL reported an increase in cargo revenue (18.4% year-on-year) recording JPY 53.4 billion.

 

For its latest financial results, JAL reported a loss of around JPY 161.2 billion (~USD $1.542 billion) during the first half of FY 2020. During the same time period in FY 2019, the airline reported a profit of JPY 54.1 billion (~USD $517.7 million).