Japanese carriers continue to build up their aircraft delivery pipelines

Japan's major airlines are considering more aircraft orders to address their next fleet modernisation priorities, adding to already substantial order books that are helping make near term improvements.

Japan Airlines (JAL) is moving closer to ordering regional jets for its domestic operation, and All Nippon Airways (ANA) is still completing an assessment that could lead to widebody and narrowbody orders.

Deliveries from previous deals are arriving steadily, with JAL receiving its long haul flagship Airbus A350-1000s, and ANA taking delivery of Airbus narrowbodies and Boeing 787s.

Aircraft from recent orders - including some new types - are due to begin arriving over the next few years, but in some cases the timeline is uncertain due to manufacturer delays.

Also on the fleet front, ANA is affected by engine-related aircraft groundings in its widebody and narrowbody fleets.

Executives from JAL and ANA discussed their fleet situations at the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines annual meeting in Brunei on 12-13-Nov-2024.

They also talked about their expectations for international demand recovery, as detailed in this analysis.