Airbus Turns 50 And Closes The Gap With Boeing As JAL A350 Makes First Flight

JAL had been one of the most loyal Boeing customers. At its peak, JAL operated over 80 747s, more than the total aircraft in many airlines' fleets, nevermind JAL’s other aircraft types. JAL was a launch customer of the 777-300ER that defined long-haul travel in the twenty-first century – and which Airbus is now challenging with the A350. JAL has 31 A350s on order.

JAL may never have bought planes from Airbus before but it operated A300s acquired through the airline's 2002 merger with Japan Air System. JAL retired the A300s in 2011.
All Nippon Airways had also favored American widebody aircraft. The Lockheed L-1011 was ANA’s first widebody aircraft, and the airline has a long history with Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, which Boeing acquired. ANA's narrowbody Airbus history goes back to 1991 when ANA received its first A320. (JAL does not operate Airbus narrowbody aircraft). ANA's Airbus widebody history is smaller. ANA in 1990 ordered five A340s but never took delivery of them. May 24 saw ANA inaugurate its first of three A380s, which will exclusively fly to Hawaii. They are the only Airbus widebody jets in ANA's fleet.

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Elsewhere in Japan, Skymark Airlines was established to be a so-called “third arrow” competitor to ANA and JAL. Skymark had been using 737s on trunk domestic routes, but bought A330s to improve space and increase capacity due to slot constraints. ANA and JAL also fly widebodies on trunk routes, but Skymark’s plan failed since it did not sufficiently market the service or target the corporate sector. Skymark bought A380s for long-haul flights, but never took delivery of the aircraft.
JAL’s A350 that flew last week is a -900 variant configured for use in the Japanese domestic market. It is due to enter service this autumn. JAL has 31 A350s on order comprising 18 -900s and 13 -1000s. The -1000s are a near one-for-one replacement of JAL’s 13 777-300ERs.

Japan Airlines' A350 order was announced October 7, 2013 in Tokyo by Fabrice Bregier, chief executive officer of Airbus, left, and Yoshiharu Ueki, president of JAL, who hold a model of an Airbus A350 aircraft. Airbus won its first order from JAL, securing a commitment for as many as 56 widebody planes in a market that Boeing has almost monopolized for decades. Photographer: Akio