JAL’s 11th Airbus A350-1000 Arrives at Tokyo Haneda from Toulouse, to Enter Service from Mid-March

Japan Airlines (JAL)’s 11th Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (registration: JA11WJ) arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on the morning of February 28 from Toulouse, France, where Airbus’ final assembly line is located. This is the first delivery of the same aircraft type in about seven months, following the 10th aircraft in July 2025. After undergoing pre-entry modifications, including the installation of an identification plate stamped with the aircraft registration, the aircraft is expected to be deployed on commercial services from mid-March.

The aircraft was formally delivered on February 25 local time. The ferry flight, JL8102, was operated by three flight crew members. It departed Toulouse at 11:24 a.m. on the 27th and took off at 11:46 a.m. The flight route passed over the Caspian Sea, Central Asia, and the Bohai Sea, before landing on Runway A at Haneda Airport at 8:28 a.m. on the 28th. It arrived at Spot 214 in front of the hangar at 8:36 a.m.

The cabin is configured in four classes with a total of 239 seats, in a layout referred to as “X35.” First Class has 6 seats in a 1-1-1 configuration, Business Class has 54 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, Premium Economy has 24 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration, and Economy Class has 155 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. In both First and Business Class, JAL has adopted enclosed suites with doors for the first time. All classes are equipped with 4K-resolution in-flight entertainment (IFE) monitors, which can connect to wireless earphones via Bluetooth.

JAL has ordered a total of 13 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. The first aircraft arrived at Haneda on December 15, 2023, followed by the second on January 15, 2024, the third on March 31, the fourth on August 1, the fifth on August 11, and the sixth on October 3. Due to subsequent changes to Airbus’ assembly schedule, the delivery sequence was altered, with the eighth aircraft arriving on December 7, the ninth on January 30, 2025, the seventh on April 24, and the tenth on July 18. The 11th aircraft was originally scheduled to arrive in March but was delivered ahead of plan.

Among these, the 10th aircraft has been out of service due to a contact incident involving another airline’s aircraft at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on December 14, 2025. According to JAL, there is currently no timeline for its return to service, and cancellations and aircraft changes continue to occur on various routes.

Flights JL45 and JL46 on the Tokyo/Haneda–Paris route were originally planned to operate every other day with a mix of Airbus A350-1000s and Boeing 777-300ERs from March 29 to September 30. However, with the entry into service of the 11th aircraft, they will operate daily with the A350-1000 until May 9. From May 10 to September 30, the airline plans to revert to alternating operations with the 777-300ER, taking into account the aircraft maintenance schedule.