JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) has acquired a further four B787-8s to bolster its domestic Japanese network operations. In a statement confirming itself as the unidentified customer behind the longstanding order, JAL said the aircraft would arrive from 2019 for use on its Osaka Itami services; the Tokyo Haneda trunk route in particular.

“This order for additional 787 Dreamliners, is a key part of our strategy as we look to bolster our existing route network and strengthen our position ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo,” Yoshiharu Ueki, President of Japan Airlines, said. “The superior noise performance of the 787 will play a critical role in meeting our commitment for quieter operations within our domestic network going forward.”

JAL currently operates twenty-five B787-8s on what are almost exclusively used on international flights to China, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Thailand, and Indonesia in Asia as well as the United States, Australia, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom further abroad. The type's only domestic route, at present, is Tokyo Narita-Nagoya Chubu.