JAL Group expecting first A321 freighter in early 4Q23

Japan Airlines gears up for fleet renewal, growing cargo ops

Qatar Airways retires last A321-200

Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) retired its last A321-200 by the end of 2022 and has since transferred the aircraft for conversion into a freighter, ch-aviation research has revealed.

A7-AID (msn 4530) operated its last revenue flight on behalf of the Qatari carrier on December 27, 2022, flying from Sharjah to Doha Hamad International, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. It was ferried from Doha to Ostrava on February 3, 2023, returned to Doha on February 13, and then was ferried via Bucharest Henri Coanda to Toulouse Francazal on February 21. The 12.4-year-old aircraft was the last of twelve A321-200s once operated by Qatar Airways.

The aircraft will re-enter service as a freighter with Spring as one of four A321-200(P2F)s operated on behalf of door-to-door delivery company Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. It already sports traces of Yamato-branded livery. Spring is scheduled to begin Yamato operations in April 2024.

Following the retirement of the A321s, Qatar Airways' narrowbody fleet currently consists solely of twenty-nine A320-200s. The...

Japan Airlines orders 21 B737 MAX 8s

JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) will start taking delivery of twenty-one B737-8s in 2026 after locking in a firm order with Boeing. The commitment forms part of the carrier's fleet renewal strategy, with the aircraft flagged to replace existing B737-800s.

According to ch-aviation fleets advanced data, there are forty-three B737-800s at Japan Airlines, thirteen B737-800s at subsidiary JTA - Japan Transocean Air (NU, Okinawa Naha), and six of the type at Spring (IJ, Tokyo Narita). JAL Group has not disclosed if the MAX 8s are exclusively for its mainline or if they will also be distributed among its subsidiaries

In a statement, Japan Airlines said the incoming aircraft would "strengthen its domestic and regional network" and push the airline towards its 2050 carbon-neutral goals. "We are delighted to select the Boeing 737-8," said Japan Airlines' president, Yuji Akasaka.

The order continues the carrier's long-standing preference for Boeing aircraft and confirms reports earlier this month that the MAX had edged out the Airbus...

JAL Group outlines A321 freighter network from 2Q24

JAL Group has outlined its A321-200(P2F) network to be operated by subsidiary Spring (IJ, Tokyo Narita) for door-to-door delivery company Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd from April 2024 using four of the converted freighters.

In a statement dated November 22, 2022, the JAL Group said three of the aircraft had been delivered with the fourth due in February 2023. The conversion process is scheduled to begin in March 2023 at the Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) facility in Singapore.

Yamato handles around 1.8 billion parcels annually and services the entirety of Japan. The four freighters will wear Yamato livery. The JAL Group says the decision to use Spring as the operating airline, rather than Jetstar Japan (GK, Tokyo Narita), will optimize management resources and strengthen the low-cost carrier's business model. The four routes, which will run 21x daily, are:

• Okinawa Naha - Kitakyushu;
• Tokyo Narita - Okinawa Naha;
• Tokyo Narita/Tokyo Haneda - Sapporo Chitose; and
• Tokyo Narita/Tokyo Haneda - Kitakyushu.