Japan Airlines (JAL) has ordered widebody and narrowbody aircraft from Airbus on July 23, 2024. The order comprises of 20 A350-900s and 11 A321neo aircraft.
The deal was signed by JAL executive officer senior vice president of procurement Yukio Nakagawa and Airbus’ commercial aircraft business CEO Christian Scherer at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow 2024.
The order builds upon the airline’s previous order for 10 787-9 Dreamliners – with options for an additional 10.
Nakagawa said the orders from both Boeing and Airbus was not a result of potential delivery delays from Boeing.
JAL has not yet decided on the engines for the new orders. Expected delivery schedule is expected between 2028 and 2032. When asked about the recently certified A321XLR, Nakagawa said it was very interested in the aircraft, but no firm decision had been made as of yet.
The A321 aircraft will replace its 767s that operate in its domestic market with Nakagawa stating the aircraft was the “best fit” for its domestic operations.
The order follows its memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two companies in March. However, the MoU originally detailed 21 aircraft. One aircraft in the MoU was assigned for the replacement of the A350 that caught fire after it collided with a DHC-8 aircraft upon landing in January.
JAL orders A350s and A321neo aircraft
