Japan Airlines (JAL) and Yamato Holdings are set to commence proving flights (familiarization flights) with their jointly operated cargo-only plane (an Airbus A321-200P2F model) from November 22.
On the first day, the plane is scheduled to make a round trip between Tokyo/Narita and Osaka/Kansai, departing Tokyo/Narita at 8:20 AM and arriving in Osaka/Kansai at 10:00 AM. It will then leave Osaka/Kansai at 2:00 PM, returning to Tokyo/Narita at 3:25 PM. The initial flight was meant to be a Tokyo/Narita to Kitakyushu service departing on the 20th, but was postponed due to maintenance reasons.
In response to the so-called ‘2024 Problem’ in the logistics industry, which includes challenges like a shortage of truck drivers, both companies have started collaborating in the cargo business. Yamato HD will lease three Airbus A321-200P2F aircraft, with JAL handling maintenance and ramp handling, while JAL’s subsidiary Spring Japan will take care of the operations. Commercial operations are scheduled to start on April 11, 2024.
The aircraft livery features a grey base color, with Yamato Group’s symbolic mark depicting a black cat carrying a kitten near the nose, and an advanced mark on the vertical stabilizer. The first aircraft (registration number: JA81YA) used for the familiarization flights is a former Qatar Airways plane. Refurbishment work took place in Singapore from March and the aircraft arrived at Narita Airport on November 6. The modification was carried out by Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), a German joint venture between Airbus and Singapore’s engineering firm ST Engineering.
■ Flight Schedule IJ9625 Tokyo/Narita (08:20) to Osaka/Kansai (10:00) / November 22 IJ9626 Osaka/Kansai (14:00) to Tokyo/Narita (15:25) / November 22
Notice
This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
