Japan Airlines

History of Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines was established on 1 August 1951 as Japan's first post-war private airline. It began domestic scheduled flights on 25 October 1951, from Tokyo Haneda to Osaka and Fukuoka, using a Martin 2-0-2 borrowed from Northwest Airlines. It started flying on its own account in October 1952, and on 2 February 1954 opened its first international route to San Francisco via Honolulu with a Douglas DC-6B.

JAL grew into one of Asia's largest airlines, with a long-haul network built around Tokyo. It joined the oneworld alliance in 2007. In January 2010 the company filed for corporate rehabilitation, then restructured, cut capacity and returned to the Tokyo Stock Exchange in September 2012.

Since then JAL has renewed its long-haul fleet with Airbus A350-1000s and Boeing 787s, and added group airlines ZIPAIR Tokyo and SPRING JAPAN. It has worked with Amadeus on NDC since 2020, and in September 2026 announced a global rollout of NDC content through the Amadeus Travel Platform, the first such step by a Japanese airline.

Fleet

Aircraft types in service as of 2026

At 31 March 2026 the JAL Group, including ZIPAIR Tokyo and SPRING JAPAN but not Jetstar Japan, operated 234 aircraft in service. They comprised 62 Boeing 737-800s, 31 787-8s, 22 787-9s, 27 767-300ERs (three converted to freighters), nine 777-300ERs, 17 A350-900s, 11 A350-1000s, 18 Embraer 170s, 14 Embraer 190s, 13 ATR 42-600s, two ATR 72-600s, five DHC-8-400 cargo combis and three A321ceo freighters. The last 777-200ERs had left the fleet. JAL has committed to 38 Boeing 737-8s, with deliveries from its 2026 financial year, to replace the 737-800s on domestic routes.

Network and hubs

JAL's hubs are Tokyo Haneda and Narita. At 31 March 2026 the group served 71 countries and regions and 413 airports internationally, counting codeshare flights, and 64 airports in Japan. In its 2025 financial year it averaged 153 international flights a day and ran 140 domestic routes, carrying 10.25 million international and 38.44 million domestic passengers.

JAL's own flights reach North America, Europe and Asia, while oneworld partners such as Qatar Airways, SriLankan Airlines and Royal Jordanian extend connections to the Middle East and South Asia. Group airlines ZIPAIR Tokyo and SPRING JAPAN fly their own networks within the JAL Group.