Japan Airlines (JAL) has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 and becomes the first Japanese operator of the aircraft type.
JAL’s brand new aircraft, registered as JA01XJ, performed its first flight in May 2019 and is expected to enter service in September, operating regional services between Tokyo Haneda and Fukuoka airport.
The A350 aircraft features a three-class configuration with 369 seats and is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. In total, the Japanese airline has 31 A350 jets on order, including both A350-900 and A350-1000 variants, to replace older wide-body aircraft.
In April, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Tourism (MLITT) issued the type certification for the Airbus A350, enabling Japan Airlines to operate the aircraft.
Japan Airlines currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of Boeing 737, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Besides a couple of former Airbus A300 aircraft, which were taken over from Japan Air System after the merger with Japan Airlines, the brand new A350-900 is the carrier’s first Airbus airplane that has been directly delivered to the airline. In addition to the A350s, Japan Airlines has ordered Mitsubishi Regional Jets with deliveries scheduled to start in 2020.
Nick Wenzel founded International Flight Network in 2016. He is the Social Media Manager and an Editor for IFN.news.
