Japan Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A-350 on Thursday. Airbus has now managed to break into Japan’s commercial aviation market in 2013, which was long dominated by the its main rival, Boeing.
This is the first time JAL is buying planes from Airbus. But it operated A-300’s acquired through the airline’s 2002 merger with Japan Air System. But JAL retired all A-300’s in 2011.
Airbus struck a $9.5 billion deal with JAL to sell 31 A-350’s comprising 18 A-350-900’s and 13 A-350-1000’s, after a lengthy campaign to convince JAL officials who were unfamiliar with Airbus aircraft, including their distinctive side-stick controls.
Now this time the A-350-1000’s will replace JAL’s 13 Boeing 777-300-ER’s. The airplane with 3 cabin classes of First Class, Business Class and Economy will be deployed on Japan’s busy domestic routes.
The first aircraft will enter service on the airline’s Haneda – Fukuoka route at the start of September, 2019.
News in Flight / ABC Flash Point Aviation News 2019.
