Business JAL to order most of its new planes from Airbus

JAL has made a significant move by purchasing 42 planes from Airbus and Boeing. This decision is particularly noteworthy for Airbus, as it marks the first time they will supply single-aisle jets to JAL, a long-standing Boeing customer. Meanwhile, Korean Air, South Korea's largest carrier, has also entered the scene by ordering 33 Airbus A350S in a deal valued at USD 13.7 billion—their first acquisition of this aircraft family. These landmark purchases come amid a tightening market for long-haul aircraft, driven by increased demand for more efficient jets as international travel gradually recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Both airlines emphasise fleet modernisation and carbon emissions reduction as part of their strategic goals.

In its statement, Japan's second-largest airline plans to buy 21 Airbus A350-900, 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliner wide-body jets and 11 A321neo narrow-body jets. JAL said that an extra A350-900 will also be bought to replace one destroyed in a runway collision at Haneda airport in January. [...] In 2013, Airbus made its first sale to JAL, which had traditionally been a customer of U.S. planemaker Boeing, with A350 planes. Airbus says the A350s use 25% less fuel than similar older-generation planes. JAL added that a robust recovery in passenger demand helped lift its group net profit forecast to 90 billion yen ($596 million) for the current year ending in March, up from 80 billion.

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