JAL-Japan Airlines Boeing 777-346 ER JA731J (msn 32431) (Sky Eco) LHR (Wingnut), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

JAL-Japan Airlines (Tokyo-Haneda) has announced revisions affecting routes, flight frequencies and its fleet plan for the first half of fiscal year 2010, and decided on plans for the second half of the year ending on March 31, 2011.

JAL has restructured its overall network with the clear objective of returning to profitability as swiftly as possible by creating a solid business model that can withstand the fluctuations in economic conditions and by generating profits without overly relying on future traffic demand. This plan includes the retirement of the Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A300-600 aircraft by the end of this fiscal year, bold withdrawal from several overseas regions, and the drastic contraction in the size of operations. It is formulated to achieve within one year, substantial reductions in the airline’s fixed costs, a target which was initially planned to be accomplished over a period of 3 years.

The airline has decided to discontinue services on 15 international routes with 86 weekly roundtrip flights, as well as on 30 domestic routes with a maximum of 58* daily roundtrip flights. Totaling the changes made since fiscal year 2009, JAL will end operations on 28 international routes with the closure of 11 overseas bases while domestically, 50 routes will be terminated along with 8 offices. The international and domestic passenger capacity (measured in available seat kilometer) will as a result be reduced by 40% and 30% respectively compared to levels in fiscal year 2008.

*56 roundtrip flights if excluding seasonally-operated flights

Read the full press release:

http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/201004/001531.html

Copyright Photo: Wingnut. Boeing 777-346 ER JA731J (msn 32431) displays the special “Sky Eco” green markings at London (Heathrow) (please click on photo for additional details).