JAL’s Final Boeing 777-200ER Departs Japan to LA with Farewell Tour Passengers

Japan Airlines (JAL) has seen off the last of its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft (registration number: JA703J), which departed from Haneda Airport to Los Angeles on December 12th for retirement.

Introduced on February 4, 2003, this particular aircraft completed 17,052 flights and accumulated 66,217 flight hours. It concluded its regular service on November 12th and had since been involved in retirement events.

The ferry flight was organized as a retirement charter flight by JALPAK, offering both a 3-day and a 5-day tour. Pilots provided live commentary along with an original flight route they constructed. The 5-day tour included a low-pass flyby (low pass) near the Southern California Logistics (Victorville) Airport on the outskirts of Los Angeles and a visit to observe aircraft on the grounds of Mojave Airport.

Tour participants gathered at Gate 139 in Terminal 3 for a talk show before departure, where engineers and captains involved with the operation of this aircraft type shared their experiences. Brad Zaback, vice president of the Boeing Commercial Airplanes division, greeted the guests and presented model planes of the Boeing 777-9 to three lucky passengers through a lottery. All passengers received commemorative gifts such as eco-bags, keychains made from aircraft parts, and a certificate of boarding. Time was also provided for passengers to write messages on the engine cowl and to take photos of the aircraft.

The departure flight, designated as JL8132, carried 15 crew members, 10 passengers in business class, 17 in economy class, and 4 staff members, leaving from Spot 213 at 8:30 PM. The aircraft took off at 8:58 PM. It was scheduled to perform a low pass at Victorville Airport en route and arrive in Los Angeles at 2:45 PM the same day.