JAL’s New Budget Carrier to Start Service in 2020

May 14, 2018

Tokyo- Japan Airlines said Monday it will launch a new low-cost carrier with the aim of starting flight services in 2020, the year of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

In addition to flying to other parts of Asia, the new carrier plans to connect Narita International Airport near Tokyo with European and U.S. cities, which are still not covered by other LCCs serving Japan.

Specific routes for the new carrier are yet to be decided. JAL is expected to select cities that do not overlap with the destinations of its own flight services.

Discussing the aim of the LCC launch, JAL President Yuji Akasaka told a press conference in Tokyo, "In order to accept as many visitors from abroad as possible, we need transportation that allows people to travel easily from far away."

In March, JAL's Japanese rival, ANA Holdings Inc., announced a plan to merge LCC units Peach Aviation and Vanilla Air by the end of fiscal 2019 while expanding the ANA group's LCC service networks across Asia.

Meanwhile, JAL's LCC involvement has been limited to holding a stake of some 33 pct in Jetstar Japan, created in 2011 with Australia's Qantas Airways and other companies. JAL aims to go on the offensive with the launch of the new budget carrier. Jiji Press