After some delays, it appears that JAL’s latest A350-1000 inaugural plan will work out. Yesterday, the airline took delivery of the first airframe which has just arrived in Tokyo Haneda. Continue reading to learn more. JAL Takes Delivery of...
After some delays, it appears that JAL’s latest A350-1000 inaugural plan will work out. Yesterday, the airline took delivery of the first airframe which has just arrived in Tokyo Haneda.
Continue reading to learn more.
JAL took delivery of its first A350-1000. (Credit: Airbus)
JAL Takes Delivery of Its First Airbus A350-1000
On December 14, 2023, JAL took delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000. After a delivery ceremony, the aircraft was ferried from Airbus’ delivery center in Toulouse to Tokyo Haneda Airport where the aircraft will be based.
The aircraft registered JA01WJ took off from Toulouse Airport’s runway 32L as flight JL8102 at 1:46PM local time. After a flight time of 12 hours and 40 minutes, it landed on Tokyo Haneda Airport’s runway 34L at 10:26AM local time.
The delivery flight’s route.
While this is JAL’s first A350-1000, the airline already operates a fleet of 16 A350-900s. It received the first of those in 2019. The A350-900s, however, operate exclusively on domestic flights.
The airline has two more A350-900s and 12 more A350-1000s on order.
JAL also operates the shorter A350-900, albeit on domestic flights.
Airbus A350-1000: JAL’s New Flagship
Going forward, the A350-1000 will play a critical role in JAL’s fleet. With a total of 13 airframes set to be delivered to the airline over time, the A350-1000 will replace JAL’s current flagship – 777-300ER – one-to-one. Once the replacement is complete, the A350-1000 will be the sole aircraft type in JAL’s fleet to feature international first class.
As mentioned in my earlier article about the JAL A350-1000, the JAL A350-1000 can seat 239 passengers including 6 in first class, 54 in business class, 24 in premium economy class, and 155 in economy class. Notably, the aircraft features an all-new hard product across all four classes (first, business, premium economy, and economy).
In first class, the aircraft features large suites with doors – the first time for JAL aircraft to offer this privacy feature. Business class seats are also equipped with doors and are in a staggered configuration.
Interestingly, in both first and business classes, JAL will offer speakers built into headrests that will allow passengers to enjoy in-flight entertainment without headphones. I am really curious to see how well this will work and I hope this does not mean that passengers will not have the option to use headphones or that the speakers will only work well when one’s head is resting on the headrest.
The JAL A350-1000 is set to make a debut on scheduled flights on January 24, 2024, on the Tokyo Haneda – New York JFK route.
From then on, the aircraft will operate on the route every other day until JAL receives the second A350-1000. At that point, one of the airline’s two New York rotations will be served by the new flagship daily. Dallas will follow once JAL receives the third airframe.
Summary
At long last, JAL’s first Airbus A350-1000 has arrived in Japan. With that, the airline appears to be set to put its new flagship into service on January 24, 2024, as planned.
The aircraft will first operate JAL’s New York JFK route every other day before being deployed on more flights on the route and later on other routes including Dallas. Over time, it is expected to fully replace JAL’s now-former flagship 777-300ER.
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