The forthcoming and yet unnamed long-haul low-cost subsidiary of JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) will install over 300 seats in its B787-8s, Vice-President (Strategy Development) Hiroyuki Uehara has said at CAPA LCCs in North Asia event.

The new layout will be significantly denser than the configurations currently used by JAL itself. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, the carrier operates its B787-8s in three different configurations seating up to 161, 186, and 196 passengers, respectively.

To date, only five carriers have configured their B787-8 for more than 300 passengers: ANA - All Nippon Airways, Jetstar Airways, Scoot, TUI Airways, and TUI fly (Belgium).

Uehara has added that the new unit will look at all destinations within the range of the B787-8s, regardless of whether JAL currently serves them or not. The subsidiary is tentatively due to launch in early 2020 but will already be incorporated later this year.

For its part, Jetstar Japan (GK, Tokyo Narita), which is 33.3%-owned by JAL, is looking at a possible cooperation with the new long-haul low-cost unit. Chief Executive Advisor Nick Rohrlach has said at the same CAPA event that both carriers could connect their passengers through Tokyo Narita, linking the long-haul and domestic or regional low-costs operations.