Skymark’s First Boeing 737-8 for a Japanese Airline Arrives at Tokyo Haneda

Skymark Airlines’ first Boeing 737-8 aircraft (registration: JA738A), a new type being introduced to the airline’s fleet, arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on the afternoon of May 4. This is the first time a Japanese airline has introduced this aircraft type.

The aircraft was delivered at Boeing’s factory in Seattle, USA, on April 29 local time. It departed Seattle on April 30 and headed for Haneda via Kona and Guam.

Strong southerly winds were blowing over Haneda Airport on the 4th, and the aircraft was significantly buffeted from side to side as it landed on Runway B at around 2:42 p.m. It arrived at Spot 206 in front of the Skymark hangar at around 2:50 p.m. The airline says commercial operations will begin as soon as preparations are complete.

Skymark plans to introduce a total of 20 aircraft as successors to its current Boeing 737-800 fleet: 13 Boeing 737-8s and 7 of the stretched-fuselage Boeing 737-10s. The airline has been preparing for the introduction, including launching full flight simulator (FFS) training from 2025. The 737-8s will consist of 7 purchased aircraft and 6 leased aircraft; the first aircraft that arrived this time is a leased aircraft. Delivery of the 737-10s is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2027.

The aircraft design follows that of the existing Boeing 737-800s, while extending the brand color “SKY BLUE,” previously applied only to the vertical tail, down to the lower fuselage. Inspired by the idea of a young employee who wanted “to deliver a lot of warmth to even more people,” two red hearts are depicted on the winglets.

In terms of performance, compared to the Boeing 737-800, fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions per seat are reduced by approximately 15 percent. Although the seat count remains the same as the current aircraft at 177 seats, the range will increase from the current 5,440 kilometers to 6,480 kilometers. The aircraft is equipped with LEAP-1B engines manufactured by CFM International.