JAL picks New York as first A350-1000 destination; hints at new ‘unprecedented’ cabins

Japan Airlines has disclosed operational details for its first Airbus A350-1000s, as it teases “unprecedented” cabin products for its new flagship aircraft. The airline on 31 January says it will deploy the type on the Tokyo Haneda-New York route during the Northern Winter schedule, which begins in November. JAL currently operates its Boeing 777-300ERs on daily flights between the two cities. In a Japanese language statement, the Oneworld carrier says: “With the introduction of the A350-1000, we have renewed the cabin specifications for international flights and are proceeding with development to provide an unprecedented new experience…[for] each customer.” It adds that it will disclose more details on cabin products “as soon as they are ready”. According to Cirium fleets data, JAL has 13 A350-1000s on order. The airline also has 16 smaller -900s in service and a further two more examples on order. The airline first disclosed plans to make the A350 its new flagship in May 2021, in a medium-term business update that was released alongside its full-year financial results. At the time, the airline said it would continue introducing the A350-900 on domestic operations, while retiring its 777s. On its international network, the airline said then it would take delivery of its first A350-1000 in fiscal 2023, which starts 1 April, and introduce the larger aircraft on flights to North America and Europe. The move will mean that the 777-300ER, the carrier’s current long-haul aircraft of choice, will no longer be the international flagship.<br/>