Japan Airlines (JAL) has been using artwork by artists with disabilities for their in-flight meal sleeves since August. On December 7, four of the artists whose work was featured were invited to Haneda Airport for a meal tasting event.
The initiative to adopt art by disabled persons for the meal sleeves came from a collaboration with the startup, Herald Bonny, which supports artists with disabilities. Ten artists’ works have been selected, and varying sleeves will be featured in Premium Economy and Economy class in-flight meals on medium to long-haul international flights until August 2024, depending on the route and season.
During the tasting event held at JAL’s training facility at Haneda Airport, the four artists—Kanotomoru Iga, Taisuke Kinugasa, Eri Nitta, and Fumi Takada—along with their families and associates, were invited. Iga’s works are featured on the Japanese meal menu from November to February 2024, Kinugasa’s on the Western meal menu until May 2024, Nitta’s on the Honolulu route menu from September to November, and Takada’s on the Western meal menu from August to October and from June to August 2024.
The in-flight meals for the tasting were served with the sleeves featuring the artists’ work. As cabin attendants served the meals in a business class mock-up, the artists looked joyfully at the sleeves, took photos, and after the tasting, they visited the nearby JAL SKY MUSEUM and the hangar.
The collaboration between JAL and Herald Bonny was initiated by cabin attendant Kiohka Sato. Sato joined the in-house venture team ‘W-PIT,’ which started working on business co-creation with partners from different industries during the pandemic. Having an interest in welfare and art, she learned about Herald Bonny through a video site and approached them for collaboration after resonating with their activities.
In December 2021, as a first initiative, they held an exhibition at Haneda Airport featuring artworks combining aircraft waste materials, such as Boeing 737-800 engine blades, with art by disabled persons. In January 2022, they undertook a project to incorporate art into the terminal facilities at Misawa Airport. Since October, they have formed a business alliance and are working towards solving social issues arising from prejudices against disabilities.
Moving forward, with the introduction of the Airbus A350-1000 on international routes, JAL aims to incorporate art in various scenarios where passengers engage with the airline, such as in amenity kits for First and Business class and coffee cups used in airport lounges, to foster and promote understanding of disabilities.
Sato hopes that the collaboration between Herald Bonny and JAL will make it easier for people with disabilities to travel by airplane, encouraging them to be more active in society. Her goal is to have art painted on the aircraft’s body, envisioning something similar to Finnair’s special livery with Marimekko.
In addition, JAL SKY MUSEUM at Haneda is currently showcasing decorations featuring artwork by disabled artists until December 26.
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