Japan Airlines announced Thursday that it will purchase 42 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus as part of a strategy to expand its international and local operations.
Airbus orders 32 new airplanes while Boeing orders ten, totaling billions of dollars.
According to the company, it would “introduce a total of 21 Airbus A350-900 aircraft from Airbus, along with 11 A321neo aircraft, and 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft from The Boeing Company, as part of its fleet renewal plan” .
When approached by AFP, a spokeswoman declined to comment on the order’s financial details.
However, a separate statement revealed the planes’ “catalogue” prices, which totaled approximately $12.9 billion.
One of the Airbus A350-900 planes will replace one that was wrecked in an accident with another plane on January 2 at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
All 379 people on board the JAL Airbus evacuated moments before it caught fire, however five of the six individuals on the smaller aircraft perished.
The airline said that it will add 20 Airbus A350-900 aircraft and 10 Boeing 787-9 to its international routes, adding to its current fleet of around 50 Boeing 787-series planes.
“These new aircraft introductions aim to enhance and expand the capacity of JAL’s international operations, with a primary focus on regions such as North America, Asia, and India where future growth is expected,” the company said in a press release.
JAL plans to replace its current Boeing 737-800 fleet on domestic flights with 21 Boeing 737-8 aircraft beginning in 2026, according to the airline.
JAL will also add 11 Airbus A321neo aircraft to its existing fleet of medium-sized Boeing 767 aircraft.
JAL, Japan’s second-largest airline after All Nippon Airways (ANA), is introducing the model for the first time, according to the company.
The launch of both aircraft types is scheduled to begin in 2027 and last around six years.
The airline said it “remains committed to steadily advancing the introduction of fuel-efficient aircraft as part of its efforts to achieve its CO2 emissions reduction targets” .
The goals include a 10% decrease in overall emissions compared to 2019 by fiscal year 2030, as well as near-zero emissions by fiscal year 2050, it said.
Airbus and Boeing both declined to comment.
This month, American Airlines bought 260 new aircraft from Airbus, Boeing, and Brazil’s Embraer.
According to list pricing, the Airbus purchase was worth up to $11 billion, while the Boeing order was worth around $11.5 billion and the Embraer order was worth more than $7 billion.